Epsom Friday

Betfred Oaks (Group 1)

IT’S 43 years since Dermot Weld sent out Blue Wind to win the Oaks at Epsom, but the master of Rosewell House remains at the top of his profession and he turned the clock back by saddling 13/2 chance Ezeliya (Chris Hayes) to win the fillies’ classic four decades on.

The daughter of Dubawi travelled well behind the pace and was pulled wide after Tattenham Corner to get a clear run.

Dance Sequence (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) came with a strong run from the rear to challenge just over two furlongs out, but Hayes was biding his time on the winner, and she quickened decisively to match that move and despite shifting left a little on the camber, stayed on strongly to power away from the Godolphin filly, with outsider War Chimes (David Menuisier/Tom Marquand) filling third. The distances were three lengths and a length and a half.

Favourite Ylang Ylang was held up at the rear of the field by Ryan Moore and although she made brief headway entering the straight, she was unable to sustain that run and finished well held in sixth.

Making Dreams ensured a solid gallop, chased by Seaward, and that pair faded tamely out of contention having done the job of making the race a decent test.

There were no hard luck stories, with Dance Sequence able to make ground from a similar position to Ylang Ylang and looking a big danger halfway up the straight, but she wasn’t able to stay on so well as the winner in a race that was run only marginally quicker than the Coronation Cup, but with the tempo asking different questions of the runners.

“It’s a very special day,” said Dermot Weld to Racing TV. “Competition is very keen nowadays and we’re very fortunate to have a filly for His Highness that is as good as this. “She’s a beautifully-mannered animal and a beautiful filly to train. Patience has paid dividends with her; we took our time with her as a two-year-old, and just gave her one run this year when she won nicely at Navan.

“She loves to come from off the pace, this is a progressive filly. She’s very relaxed and got a beautiful ride from Chris Hayes. She was cantering down the hill then he gave her a couple of strides and let her go.”

Holland Cooper Coronation Cup (Group 1)

THE Grade 1 Holland Cooper Coronation Cup saw a field of five go to post, but with four of those tending to be held up in their races, the race promised to turn tactical, and Ryan Moore showed himself in his element in that scenario, getting to the front on Luxembourg (Aidan O’Brien) and setting a moderate pace before quickening the tempo as the field straightened for home.

That move proved crucial, with uneasy favourite Emily Upjohn (John and Thady Gosden/Kieran Shoemark) forced to race close to the pace than ideal and racing freely with the tempo so slow in the early furlongs.

She was well positioned when the sprint began, but lack of race fitness and an inclination to over-race saw her unable to match Luxembourg when it mattered, and she faded out of contention, leaving Hamish (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) to chase the leader down in the latter stages.

The eight-year-old battled gamely as always, but although Luxembourg began to tire as the ground rose inside the last furlong, he had enough in hand to win by a margin of a length. The front pair pulled six lengths clear of Feed The Flame, and the well-ridden winner was returned at an SP of 9/4.

O’Brien said: “Ryan controlled everything and at halfway he had everyone where he wanted them. It was an incredible ride. Ryan obviously always makes his own mind up, we always talk about different scenarios but once the gates open, he makes his own mind up. In the big races, he’s incredible.”

“We always thought he was a mile-and-a-half horse. We ran him a bit short through the winter because the races were there, but genuinely he gets a mile and a half well. When he ran in the Arc, the ground was very soft and other things didn’t work for him, but I’d say he’s made to be a King George horse.

Changed physically

“This year he’s changed into an older horse physically, we think. We probably ran him too short to be fair to him, we asked him to do things that probably wasn’t fair to him. I think the last day we ran him over nine furlongs. Ryan just said he was a lot better than those runs.

“He gets a mile and a half well and he loves fast ground. I think nice ground will be a help to him, too. He’s a great horse to have, I think he will travel plenty. He’s at that age now and has a great mind on him.”

Of Emily Upjohn, John Gosden said: “Obviously it was a steady pace, she’s a mile-and-a-half filly and wants a good pace. We’re happy and I did warn everyone before that this race would bring her on. She’s only run twice in the last year, and at home her work has been somewhat idle and this race will bring her on a bundle.

“We’ll look at something like the Hardwicke at Ascot, but she needs racing now and that will bring her on a lot.”