This year more than most others, the Oaks looks an absolute cracker. Hopefully this horse by horse guide can help to find the winner for the 4.05 on Friday.
BETTERBETTERBETTER: Betterbetterbetter looks to be one of the lower numbers of the O'Brien's sextet, with Colm O'Donoghue aboard. She has the pedigree to challenge, being by Galileo, an impressive Derby winner on quick ground himself. She has the potential to be like plenty of O'Brien big priced placed runners in the Epsom classics in the past, she was caught by a mudlark in the Cheshire Oaks last time, which wouldn't have happened on faster ground, therefore she wouldn't have been the price she is now. If she leads, which is highly likely, she could run a stormer.
COLIMA: Colima ran a better race than people thought at Lingfield last time, when held up and finishing a very good second behind Vow, who we'll touch on later. She has been very highly regarded by her trainer throughout, convinced that as she wasn't fully ready to do herself justice there, and will come on a tonne for it. I think she could possibly finish ahead of Vow this time, as she looked less ready and she looks very well balanced in the way she runs and with the big difference in price, she looks a very decent each way selection for this contest.
COQUET: Coquet was a suprise winner for her trainer last week, when he said he would be suprised if she was fit enough to do herself justice, but she certainly was, galloping on strongly to hold on. I would be suprised if she was to figure here, especially as she looks to me anyway, to be the stable second string. She appears to be either a Listed or Group 3 filly as opposed to a very high class Group 1 filly, so I would probably on balance leave her out of it.
DEVOTION: She is definitely the least likely to figure of any in the race, despite Richard Hughes being booked, has been well beat in Listed, Group 3 and Group 1 company, which is plainly just not good enough in this.
KAILANI: Kailani is the only filly to be supplemented for this contest, which is certainly not a negative, remember the Arc! She was impressive at Newmarket on soft ground, albeit in a lower grade, but they seem pretty confident that she will go on the ground. Also, the track might be a slight issue, only won at Yarmouth and Newmarket. She is by Monsun, sire to Manduro and Shirocco, who won a Coronation Cup over C&D, so may go well, I would just prefer a bit more to be on offer.
KISSED: Anyone who has seen me on Twitter will know how much I like Kissed. She was my idea of a Oaks ante post bet before she won at Navan last time, which lead to her getting hammered in the market to favourtism at one stage. She has a great pedigree, meaning she will stay the trip, looks an incredibly well balanced filly, which is massive around Epsom but the only problem is, will she run. The issue is the ease in the ground not being there, but I don't see the problem as clearly. She is by Galileo, a good to firm Derby winner after winning only Soft or Heavy ground races before, is a sister to Pour Moi, a Derby winner last year on quick ground, and straight after Navan, Joseph O'Brien said "you never know till you try but I can't see her not going on better ground". I think she'll run anyway, and Ryan Moore up, will be very, very high up my list.
MAYBE: Maybe was a very well backed favourite for the 1000 Guineas before finishing 3rd, and an ultimately disappointing 10 length beating to a stablemate who was comfortably beaten in the Irish equivalent last week and the 2nd got firmly put into its place by Shirocco Star in a weaker race at Newbury afterwards. Again, the money is down, but she's never gone beyond a mile, therefore is going to be ridden with that in mind by a relative Epsom novice in Joseph O'Brien, and personally, I thought she was fully geared up for Newmarket and didn't win, and think she is way too short here at around 5/2, in a race where she seems to have lots of chinks in her armour.
So that's horses 1 to 7 dealt with, watch out soon for horses 8 down to 14.
Will
or on Twitter @willbowler2k12
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