Derby, Oaks highlight a classic week at Epsom
The Kentucky Derby took place four weeks ago, but the Derby – the original granddaddy of them all – is coming up on Saturday at Epsom Downs in England.
The Epsom Derby (G1) is the highlight of two spectacular days of racing at Epsom on Friday and Saturday. Three Group 1 races are on the agenda, and it’s entirely possible we’ll see future Breeders’ Cup entrants in the mix.
Here’s how the action is unfolding this week:
Friday, June 3
Epsom, England, Race 3: Dahlbury Coronation Cup (G1) (10:10 a.m. EDT)
A small group of six horses will square off in the 1 1/2-mile Coronation Cup, a prestigious prize dating back to 1902. It’s not infrequently a steppingstone toward the Breeders’ Cup Turf; in fact, Breeders’ Cup Turf winners St Nicholas Abbey and Highland Reel have both claimed victory in the Coronation Cup during the last decade.
One of the big names in the 2022 Coronation Cup field is Pyledriver, who won this race by a neck in 2021. That marked Pyledriver’s last start until autumn, when he won a listed stakes at Lingfield and traveled to Hong Kong for a runner-up finish in the Hong Kong Vase (G1).
Pyledriver was last seen finishing a close fourth in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on March 26, beaten only one length against a quality field. Internationally renowned jockey Frankie Dettori retains the mount, so it’s easy to see why Pyledriver is favored in the Coronation Cup betting.
Manobo is a key challenger. The Godolphin homebred won his first five starts for trainer Charlie Appleby before placing second in the Dubai Gold Cup (G1) racing 3,200 meters (about two miles). Manobo is cutting back significantly in distance for the Coronation Cup, but the 4-year-old son of Sea the Stars still has upside for trainer Charlie Appleby and can’t be dismissed from contention.
High Definition, beaten a neck in the 1 5/16-mile Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1) less than two weeks ago, is progressing in the right direction for the high-profile jockey/trainer duo of Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien. And we can’t dismiss five-time group stakes winner Hukum, who was beaten only 1 3/4 lengths when seventh in the Dubai Sheema Classic.
Suffice to say, the Coronation Cup is shaping up to be a competitive race.
Epsom, England, Race 5: Cazoo Oaks (G1) (11:30 a.m. EDT)
No fewer than 11 sophomore fillies will face the starter in the historic Epsom Oaks, the original 1 1/2-mile classic from which all other Oaks descend. First run in 1779, the Oaks boasts a stellar roster of winners, including subsequent Breeders’ Cup standouts Ouija Board and Enable.
In recent years, the Oaks has been dominated by trainers Aidan O’Brien (nine wins) and John Gosden (three wins), who have combined to win every edition since 2014. Between them, they’ll saddle half a dozen starters in the 2022 Oaks, including (per some bookmakers) the top four betting choices.
John Gosden (now training alongside son Thady Gosden) conditions the heavy favorite Emily Upjohn, who looks to give jockey Frankie Dettori a seventh Oaks success. The daughter of Sea the Stars is undefeated in three starts and has been especially effective on grass this season, smashing a minor 1 1/4-mile event at Sandown by 9 1/2 lengths before claiming the 1 5/16-mile Musidora (G3) by 5 1/2 lengths. Emily Upjohn is stretching out in distance for the Oaks, but she clearly has a lot of talent and upside, hence her short price in the betting.
John and Thady Gosden also condition Nashwa, two-for-two this year with a comfortable victory in the 1 1/4-mile Haras De Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial at Newbury ranking as her greatest success to date. A victory on Friday would make rider Hollie Doyle the first female jockey to win the Oaks.
Meanwhile, O’Brien comes to the table with Tuesday and Concert Hall as his top contenders. Tuesday has already held her own against top-caliber competition, placing third in the English 1000 Guineas (G1) and second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) racing one mile. As a daughter of legendary sire Galileo out of multiple Group 1 winner Lillie Langtry, Tuesday is a full-sister to 2016 Oaks winner Minding, so stretching out over 1 1/2 miles shouldn’t be an issue.
As for Concert Hall, she enters off a third-place finish in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, which followed a narrow victory in a 1 1/4-mile listed stakes at Navan. Her dam, Was, won the 2012 Oaks, so Concert Hall is another filly who figures to appreciate racing 1 1/2 miles at Epsom.
O’Brien also trains 1 7/16-mile Cheshire Oaks winner Thoughts of June and Musidora fourth-place finisher The Algarve.
Saturday, June 4
Epsom, England, Race 5: Group 1 Cazoo Derby (11:30 a.m. EDT)
First held in 1780, the 1 1/2-mile Cazoo Derby remains a coveted prize on the racing calendar as it approaches its 250th anniversary. Certainly it’s been a recurring target for Aidan O’Brien, who has saddled more Derby winners (eight, including six since 2012) than any other trainer.
O’Brien will saddle three entrants in search of his ninth Derby win, including the red-hot duo of Stone Age and Changingoftheguard. Of the pair, Stone Age is more accomplished. Runner-up in the 1 1/4-mile Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1) to conclude his juvenile season, Stone Age has been unstoppable in two runs as a sophomore. He broke his maiden over 1 1/4 miles at Navan before smashing the 1 1/4-mile Derby Trial (G3) at Leopardstown by 5 1/2 lengths.
Changingoftheguard is unproven at the Group 1 level, but he’s perfect in two starts this season, winning a 1 5/16-mile maiden heat at Dundalk by six lengths before trouncing the 1 9/16-mile Chester Vase (G3) by 6 1/2 lengths. Stamina clearly isn’t an issue for Changingoftheguard, whose dam Lady Lara won multiple graded stakes in the United States.
O’Brien also trains Star of India, a comfortable winner of the 1 5/16-mile Dee Stakes at Chester one month ago. Stone Age, Changingoftheguard, and Star of India are all sons of Galileo, who has sired a record five winners of the Derby.
But if O’Brien and Galileo are going to extend their Derby records, they’ll have to conquer race favorite Desert Crown. The lightly raced bay colt looks like a star in the making for trainer Sir Michael Stoute, who has saddled five Derby winners dating back to 1981.
Desert Crown was dominant in his debut at Nottingham last fall, winning a 1 1/16-mile maiden event over soft ground by 5 1/2 lengths. He was even more impressive when returning to action in the Dubai Dante (G2) racing 1 5/16 miles at York last month, rallying to trounce his rivals by 3 1/4 lengths. Desert Crown has barely been tested, but the raw talent he’s displayed is exciting.
Other logical Derby contenders include the Godolphin homebred Nations Pride (victorious in four straight races for trainer Charlie Appleby) and Piz Badile, a narrow winner of the 1 1/4-mile Group 3 P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax at Leopardstown two months ago.
