It’s a big afternoon as Epsom Ladies Day brings some of the top events of the horse racing calendar.
Our resident tipster, Paul O’Brien, is here to deliver his top picks for the day ahead.
Coronation Cup: Luxembourg @ 10/3 (15:20)
This year’s Coronation Cup is a far more open affair than the opening market prices would have you believe. Last year’s winner Emily Upjohn opened at 4/5, although proven at this course concerns on whether she will handle the ground conditions caused her to drift.
British-bred, French-trained Feed The Flame has attracted attention because of his form in soft conditions in France but the horse most likely to take Emily Upjohn’s crown is Luxembourg.
The Irish raider is proven in soft ground and although normally races over a mile and a quarter he does stay a mile and a half. Jockey Ryan Moore may well decide to lead from the front and the others will need to be on top of their game to prevent him from kicking away on a track favourable to frontrunners.
The Oaks: Ylang Ylang @ 9/4 (16:30)
There are many different horses in this year’s Oaks that you could make a case for. All of Ralph Beckett’s entrants have a chance, although You Got To Me is unlikely to be able to reproduce her bold breakaway win of the Lingfield Trial in more testing conditions. Her stablemate Forest Fairy on the other hand is at least based on pedigree, if not proven herself, a threat in testing conditions.
However the Aidan O’Brien first string Ylang Ylang is favourite for a reason and proven in soft ground having won the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket on her final two-year-old start in soft conditions.
She wasn’t disgraced on reappearance at Newmarket in the 1,000 Guineas, coming a close fifth but not quite having the pace of some of the others in the good conditions. She is a bred to stay further and has proven that she clearly wants further. At this increased distance she might well find herself unmatched by anyone of the same sex and she should duly provide the Irish trainer with his eleventh Oaks victory.
Surrey Stakes: Pandora’s Gift @ 9/2 (17:10)
Zoum Zoum and Balmacara have garnered fairly good support for this race because they are both proven in soft conditions. However, whether Balmacara is good enough to win a listed currently is up for debate. Zoum Zoum won a listed race as a two-year-old and came second at Newbury last month in a Group 3 but has to concede weight to all his rivals.
The wildcard for this race is Pandora’s Gift. She has the best form of the field for this year winning a listed race at Chelmsford four weeks ago in easy fashion quickening well and winning going away. She is bred for 7f and clearly has the ability to make light work of a race of this calibre however she is completely unproven on turf.
Connections are confident however in her turf ability and are hoping to go to Royal Ascot on the back of a fifth win in a row.