ONE of the highlights of the weekend was the victory of Oh This Is Us, known to all at Richard Hannon’s yard as Otis, in the Group 3 Diomed Stakes at his third attempt and having looked on the downgrade last season.

The eight-year-old is what might be termed a twilight horse, in that he’s perennially too high in the handicap, but hard to place at pattern level, but he’s set about disproving both notions this season, showing himself every bit as good as ever in the process.

Marie’s Diamond set a fairly modest pace, with 2/1 joint favourite Century Dream (Simon & Ed Crisford/James Doyle) always at his girth on the outside, and Oh This Is Us tucked away on the rail. That remained the order until the leader began to crack in the straight, and Century Dream went on at the two-furlong pole.

It looked for all the world at that stage that he would land his third win in this contest when making that decisive move, but having been caught in a pocket by Oisín Murphy on Bell Rock (Andrew Balding), Tom Marquand got a run with just over a furlong to go, and sent Oh This Is Us in pursuit of the leader.

Both horses stretched out willingly in the dash to the line, and were almost inseparable as they crossed it, with the judge determining that the 18/1 outsider had prevailed by nose, with Bell Rock – the other joint-favourite just over a length back in third.

It was a finish fitting of the occasion, and while a dead-heat would not have been an unpopular result, the winner was providing a feel-good story on a par with that of Pyledriver the day before.

Dream

A winner now of 16 races from 72 starts, Oh This Is Us has proved a dream buy for the Team Wallop partnership, for whom the son of Acclamation was a first foray into ownership. To have taken them to all the top tracks in the UK and won races at ten of them (as well as in Dubai) must be the stuff of dreams, and his renaissance in 2021 really caps that experience.

Almost written off at the start of the season, the old boy popped up at 66/1 in the Listed Paradise Stakes at Ascot, and eked out a little extra here to gain his first success in a group race at his 14th attempt.

In fairness, he has gone close in this race twice before, beaten less than three-parts of a length in the 2017 running despite being stopped in his run, and then when runner-up in 2019, so this win was well deserved, and just as at Ascot, he showed tremendous tenacity in a tight finish.

It would be wonderful to think that there might be a place for him at stud, as the soundness, enthusiasm, and durability he’s shown throughout his career are traits which deserve to be passed on.

THE Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Cazoo) was weakened by the defection of fancied pair Posted and Illykato, and with Maamora bombing out in last, it represents weak form for the grade.

Not that that will bother Archie Watson, whose Parent’s Prayer (Oisin Murphy) showed some improvement to make the breakthrough at pattern level, having made the frame in the Park Express Stakes at Naas on her return. The daughter of Kingman made all the running, and found reserves in the straight to put just over two lengths lengths between herself and runner-up Nazuna (Roger Varian/Andrea Atzeni), with favourite Statement (Martyn Meade/David Egan) beaten more than five lengths into third after missing the break. The winner was returned at 4/1.

Parent’s Prayer holds an entry in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot, but will face much stiffer opposition on a track where the tactics she employed here are much harder to execute. That said, connections now have their Group 3 win, so there is nothing to lose by rolling the dice.

THERE were six trainers on the scoresheet at Epsom on Saturday, but only Ian Williams enjoyed a repeat visit to the winners’ circle, as Ejtilaab landed the concluding six-furlong handicap to add to the 25/1 victory of Mokaatil in the Worldpool Dash earlier in the day.

Mokaatil, a previous course winner over six furlongs, had slipped to his last winning mark after a few modest runs, but seemed to benefit from the fitting of blinkers for the first time when taking the Dash under David Egan. Tipperary trainer Kevin Coleman will be proud of his efforts after rolling the dice with Only Spoofing who ran a big race to finish second.

Egan was again doing the steering later when Ejtilaab ran down the tearaway leader Muscika in the finale. Neither had much in hand, but it’s a credit to the Alvechurch trainer that he had them both primed to run for their lives on such a big day.