Emily can overcome June test and Up John to four Oaks wins
THERE aren’t too many boxes left unticked by this year’s overwhelming Cazoo Oaks (4.30pm) favourite EMILY UPJOHN.
She has the strongest form heading into the race, is sired by a Derby winner and has Frankie Dettori in the saddle.
The way she demolished fields by wide margins at Sandown and York couldn’t have been more impressive, and the daughter of Sea The Stars has been prepped with a spin around Tattenham Corner just 10 days ago.
As a result, you’ll be lucky to get odds-against on the day, but there may still be some value in the World Pool, via tote.co.uk.
World Pool, a collaboration between global totes and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, allows punters from across the globe bet into a single pool.
International bettors love to play the exotics, such as the Quinella – a prediction on the first two home in any order – resulting in much more liquidity, and therefore value, when a market like this year’s Oaks is constricted.
So, who could pop up at a price? The first one is THOUGHTS OF JUNE, a big grey who’ll relish the mile-and-a-half test and won’t mind the showers that have hit the track already this week.
She handled Chester well for a filly that’s almost 17 hands, and form around that track is always a good pointer for Epsom.
She’s expected to be ridden positively and could be hard to peg back.
TRANQUIL LADY is the other one that could boost the Quinella dividend.
She had enough speed to win a seven-furlong maiden as a two-year-old and looked better than ever when going clear over a mile-and-a-quarter in Group Three company at Naas last time out.
She’s a half-sister to stablemate State Of Rest, a Group One winner over the same distance, but is by a stamina-influencing Derby winner in the shape of Australia, so the step up to a mile-and-a-half could bring about further improvement.
POINTERS FRIDAY
Quinella 4.30pm Epsom
Emily Upjohn, Thoughts Of June, Tranquil Lady