Betfred Oaks

The Betfred Derby will be run for prize-money of £2 million in 2026, making it the joint-richest race in Britain alongside the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. This £500,000 boost in purse from last year is just one of a raft of "significant changes" announced by the Jockey Club for Epsom's Betfred Derby Festival next June. The programme of reinvigoration, with investment of £6 million, includes Coolmore being announced as sponsor of the Coronation Cup, which will be run for £1 million - more than double its previous...

EPSOM DOWNS, UK -- It is impossible to think of the Coolmore operation without the name Sangster coming to mind and, not for the first time, a member of the clan has been instrumental in aiding Coolmore to Classic glory. The imperious Minnie Hauk reeled in and eventually - but only just - overhauled her front-running stable-mate Whirl to give Ben Sangster his second winner of the Oaks as breeder after Dancing Rain struck at Epsom back in 2011. For good measure, he also bred last year's Coronation Cup winner...

For so long now we have been used to the Galileo factor at Epsom, and while none of his final small crop of 13 has made the line-up for the Derby or the Oaks, we still find his name all over the place on the pages of this year's runners, merely starting to shuffle back a bit in the generation game.  Galileo's sons Frankel, Australia and Circus Maximus each have at least one runner in the Derby, and Frankel and Australia also have Oaks runners. Eight of the 19 Derby...

Cheshire Oaks heroine Minnie Hauk (Frankel) is the likely mount of Ryan Moore in the Betfred Oaks, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien, with the Ballydoyle team also set to call upon the services of Wayne Lordan and Colin Keane on a busy Classic weekend at Epsom. Speaking on a call hosted by the Jockey Club on Tuesday, O'Brien echoed his recent comments about Delacroix (Dubawi) being the horse most likely to have the benefit of Moore's assistance in Saturday's Betfred Derby, before clarifying the picture somewhat with regards the Oaks,...

Following Saturday's confirmation stage, Godolphin's 1,000 Guineas heroine Desert Flower (Night Of Thunder) is one of nine possible runners in Friday's Betfred Oaks at Epsom. Unbeaten in five career starts, culminating with a comfortable defeat of Flight and Simmering in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, Desert Flower is the sponsor's 7/4 favourite to complete a Classic double at Epsom, a feat last achieved by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Love five years ago. O'Brien is responsible for three of the remaining nine contenders in Giselle (Frankel), the wide-margin winner of the Listed...

ROSEGREEN, Ireland -- It's that time of year again. The countdown to the Classics. Better than Christmas. And there are few better ways to indulge dreams of what may be about to unfold in the coming weeks than by annoying Aidan O'Brien for a morning at Ballydoyle. He must find it irksome, all these pesky journalists turning up, as surely as the first swallow of spring. But if he does, he hides it well, and almost seems to revel in sharing what he clearly finds the most rewarding part of...

By Adam Houghton and Brian Sheerin A royal runner in this fillies' Classic at a meeting which her late breeder, Queen Elizabeth II, rarely missed, is just one highlight of an intriguing Oaks field. The runners range from the top-priced, seven-figure filly at Tattersalls October Book 1 to a €27,000 Goffs Autumn yearling purchase, with four smart homebreds in play as well. CAUGHT U LOOKING (Ire) Harzand (Ire)--Wild Mix (GB), by Mastercraftsman (Ire) Bred by Peter Kelly, she was sold by The Castlebridge Consignment for €27,000 to Peter Nolan and...

Mark Tompkins retired from the Newmarket training ranks in 2019 with his highest-profile winner having been the 1993 St Leger winner Bob's Return (Ire) (Bob Back). The final black-type victory of his career came with Brushing (GB), a homebred daughter of Medicean (GB), who landed the Listed Galtres S. at York as well as the Cumberland Plate.  Tompkins is now hopeful that by Friday afternoon he can add Classic-winning breeder to his list of achievements as Brushing's daughter, the Lingfield Oaks Trial winner You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}),...

TIPPERARY, Ireland -- Aidan O'Brien walks into the semi-covered ride, shakes hands with each member of the assembled press pack and apologises for the rain. Within his private fiefdom of Ballydoyle there is plenty that he can control, particularly via the earpieces on each of his 50 riders currently warming up in front of him, but the weather isn't one of them. The rain fell on his parade at Newmarket just over a week ago when the longed-for procession of City Of Troy (Justify) in the 2,000 Guineas failed to...

Fifty-eight entries for the Betfred Oaks on May 31 have been revealed, led by last season's champion juvenile filly Opera Singer (Justify). The G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner remains the market leader despite the recent announcement by her trainer Aidan O'Brien that she may miss the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket following a minor setback in training.  Her stable-mate Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is also among the 13 fillies to have been entered from Ballydoyle. Irish trainers Noel Meade, Jim Bolger and Dermot Weld have one entry apiece while Paddy...

EPSOM DOWNS, UK--It was a chill wind, rather than an ill wind, that blew across the Downs as the early birds arrived at Epsom. The drive to Surrey had been peppered by racing popping up on the Radio 4 news, and that's rarely a good sign. Animal Rising may be chaotic in its reasoning but, with its threats of disruption, the protest group has done a good job of grabbing attention in the run-up to the Derby. Sure enough, there it was again, on repeat on the hourly bulletins. The...

Looks can be deceiving, but it is hard to argue with Savethelastdance's 22-length winning margin in the Listed Cheshire Oaks. The Coolmore filly faces 10 rivals in Friday's G1 Betfred Oaks, among them G3 Musidora S. heroine Soul Sister for Lady Bamford. BE HAPPY (IRE), Camelot (GB) - Frequential (GB) (Dansili {GB}) Owner: M Tabor, D Smith, Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg Breeder: Lynch Bages Ltd & Longfield Stud Trainer: Aidan O'Brien A 340,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase, she is a sister to the Group 3-placed Hector De Maris...