2019 Investec Derby Festival Guide Friday 31 May Investec Oaks
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2019 Investec Derby Festival Guide Friday 31 May Investec Oaks A field of 14, the highest in the race for five years, is set to go to post in the £525,000 Group 1 Investec Oaks, the premier fillies’ Classic, Here’s our guide to some of the leading and the highlight of the action on the opening day of the meeting. contenders for the big race. Staged over the same tricky 2400m course as the Derby and Pink Dogwood Coronation Cup, the QIPCO British Champions Series contest has been Named after the second hole at the Augusta National golf course, won seven times by Ireland’s champion trainer Aidan O’Brien, who this filly was a front-runner as a two-year-old though those tactics saddles four runners as he bids for an eighth success. only paid dividends once in four attempts, although she showed a good level of form against smart rivals. Meanwhile, the reigning British champion trainer John Gosden, is represented by Anapurna, the mount of Frankie Dettori, and Frankel Settled well back in the field when making her seasonal bow in Listed filly Mehdaayih, supplemented for the race following an impressive company at Naas, she looked much more effective from off the pace success in the Cheshire Oaks at Chester on May 8. and was able to win that race under a hands-and-heels ride. Long considered the leading Ballydoyle contender, she looks a big player. Our guide to the key stats for the Investec Oaks Mehdaayih • With winners at 20-1, 20-1, 20-1, 33-1 and 50-1 within the Supplemented into this race at a cost of £30,000, she has made last 12 years, this has not been a good contest for those rapid progress through the grades this season for champion concentrating on those at the head of the betting. trainer John Gosden. Pulled up no trees at two but won a Chelmsford match in April by 14 lengths, when giving her rivals • Group-race form is not essential coming into this contest, with 8lb, and then overcame trouble in running to win the Cheshire only three of the last 12 winners having already registered a Oaks – which Enable won before landing this race in 2017 - in a victory in a Group race. seriously impressive manner. • Stall 1 has been something of a bogey in recent years, with Unlikely to be ridden prominent early, she could deliver a lethal only three of the last 17 renewals seeing a horse from that blow up the straight. Robert Havlin keeps the ride at the expense stall make the frame. In contrast, horses drawn five or higher of Frankie Dettori with connections having opted to keep him on have won 11 of the last 17 races. board after their Chester victory. • Stamina should not be taken on trust for this trip, the stiffest Maqsad test that most of these fillies will ever have faced. Eleven of Newmarket maiden winner in April and returned to that course the last 17 winners had already scored over at least 2000m. three weeks later to record an easy and taking success in the Pretty Polly Stakes in the sort of style that would suggest a further • All of the last 11 winners had run only once or twice step up in trip to this 2400m would not be an inconvenience. previously in the season. Open to further improvement, this imposing-looking filly has a smart turn of foot and could lay down a major bid if allowed to deliver her challenge off a strong gallop. Jim Crowley is on board again. THE TIP Manuela De Vega offers strong win-and-place value against the market leaders despite having ground to make up with Mehdaayih on their recent Cheshire Oaks form. While Robert Havlin brought the winner fast and wide down the outside, Harry Bentley didn’t enjoy as smooth a run on the inner rail and by the time he had extricated his mount from the melee, the winner had flown. Trainer Ralph Beckett knows what it takes to win this contest and immediately made it clear that he was targeting a third victory in the Oaks with this filly. At double-figure odds, she makes plenty of appeal. 1 Saturday 1 June Investec Derby A high-class field of 13 goes to post as Ireland’s 21-times champion Flat trainer Aidan O’Brien seeks a record-equalling seventh Investec Here’s our guide to some of the leading Derby win with a seven-pronged attack on the 240th running of the contenders for the big race. world’s most famous Flat race. Broome The Ballydoyle septet are spearheaded by Sir Dragonet, the mount of Showed a decent level of form last season but has looked an Ryan Moore. An impressive winner of the Chester Vase, Sir Dragonet improved horse this year, winning Group 3s on his last two starts. is sired by 2012 Investec Derby victor Camelot and could well go off Achieved a notably smart speed figure when landing the Ballysax favourite given the encouragement that being Moore’s choice offers. at Leopardstown in April and, most excitingly, it would be a Sir Dragonet will race from the widest stall of all in 13. surprise if he does not relish the 400m of this trip, just as his sire Australia did in 2014. O’Brien’s other six Investec Derby contenders are headed by Broome, the mount of Donnacha O’Brien, who has captured two Derby trials at Not quite so impressive last time out when needing to be pushed Leopardstown already this season. out, but Aidan O’Brien was adamant that run was needed to put him back spot-on for this. The £1,625,000 showpiece is Britain’s richest race and one of the highlights of the sporting summer. Sir Dragonet Seemed to slip through the net earlier in his career for connections, a situation apparently explained by a setback at Our guide to the key stats for the Investec Derby two requiring him to miss any racecourse action last season. But • Less is more when it comes to finding the winner of the having won a lowly Tipperary maiden in good style, he looked Derby. 16 of the last 17 winners had run no more than five potentially very smart when securing a runaway success in the times before Epsom. Chester Vase. • Concentrate on the horses towards the head of the market. Still has questions to answer after just the two racecourse Six of the last 15 favourites won and 15 of the last 17 appearances, but it looks significant that Ryan Moore has chosen winners returned at odds of 7-1 or shorter. to ride him ahead of a host of other options and the way he swung around the turns at Chester certainly gave hope that he could be • Aidan O’Brien is undoubtedly the trainer to follow, with four just as effective around the turns at Epsom. winners in the last 10 years, along with seven further placed horses. Telecaster Shaped with lots of promise behind Bangkok on his debut before • Horses drawn middle to high have a much better recent bursting onto the scene with an emphatic win at Windsor. Proved that record than those in low numbers. No winner has come from was no fluke when winning the Dante last time out, where he kept stalls 1-3 in the last 10 years and no winner has ever come finding for pressure to end the hitherto-unbeaten run of Too Darn Hot. from stall 2. The 2400m of the Derby trip should be no issue and he enjoyed • Unlike the Oaks, previous Group-race form is a very the fast ground at York. Beat a useful field in that contest and still encouraging sign. 10 of the last 12 winners had been more to come, provided this race doesn’t come too soon being victorious in a Group race before scoring at Epsom. just 16 days after what looked quite a gruelling encounter. THE TIP Those looking for one at longer odds might be tempted by Circus Maximus in first-time cheekpieces, but the claims of Broome look very solid and the stats show that the betting market usually tends to get this race right. His two victories so far this season have come in contests that invariably prove decent trials for Epsom and although Ryan Moore opts to ride Sir Dragonet, Broome looked very smart first time out this season in the Ballysax and his profile looks ideal. 1 How does this year’s Investec Derby field measure up? We look more closely at the leading players in this year’s line-up to see how they stack up against the key trends. LIGHTLY-RACED – No less than 16 of the last 17 winners PAST WINNERS – Has his trainer or jockey won the Derby had run no more than five times before the Derby. before? DRAW – Horses drawn between stalls 5-10 have won nine of GUINEAS – Five of the last 11 Derby winners had either won the last 12 renewals of the Derby or been placed in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket CLASS - Ten of the last 12 winners had previously triumphed in a Group race before winning the Derby HORSE NAME LIGHTLY-RACED DRAW CLASS PAST WINNERS GUINEAS Sir Dragonet ✓ ✓ ✓ Broome ✓ ✓ ✓ Telecaster ✓ ✓ Anthony Van Dyck ✓ ✓ ✓ Bangkok ✓ ✓ Japan ✓ ✓ ✓ Madhmoon ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Circus Maximus ✓ ✓ ✓ Norway ✓ ✓ 3 Thoughts from the big names Frankie Dettori Andrew Cooper - Clerk of the Course How does riding in the Investec Derby compare to the other big meetings in the world? With the going now ‘Good’, First of all, it is a great race, but at what is the weather suggesting the same time it is very challenging, conditions will be like for the emotionally and physically.