Horse Racing
Season
Savethelastdance faces the challenge of talented rivals and sunshine
Trainer Aidan O’Brien knows what it takes to win the G1 Yorkshire Oaks (2371m), the highlight of York’s Thursday (24 August) programme, having won the race six times already.
O’Brien’s Savethelastdance amazed watchers of last month’s G1 Irish Oaks (2400m) with a late sweeping run that robbed Bluestocking of seemingly certain victory. Now the two improving three-year-old fillies resume combat, with the betting market predicting another success for Savethelastdance.
O’Brien suggested that Thursday’s race might see Savethelastdance in an even better light than in the Irish Oaks. He said, “She is a lovely, big, genuine filly who gets a mile and a half (2400m) very well. Ideally, she might have preferred a stronger pace at the Curragh. When they started to quicken, Ryan Moore had to give her time to go through the gears. He felt when she hit top gear that she would mow them down, and that’s what she did.”
He added, “I think York will suit her as it’s a big, galloping track. There’s no messing there and they usually get going early.”
A remark O’Brien made before the Irish Oaks, reflecting on Savethelastdance’s defeat in the G1 Oaks Stakes (2405m) offers hope for the filly’s opponents. “The ground was quick enough at Epsom for her,” he said. “So she’ll probably prefer a bit more of an ease at the Curragh.”
The sunshine at York and the prospect of fast ground could jeopardise Savethelastdance’s chances. All her successes have come on soft or heavy going. While she was not disgraced in coming second on good to firm ground at Epsom, it was not ideal.
Bluestocking’s ground preferences are less clear but after the Irish Oaks, trainer Ralph Beckett said, “It was a great run and we were just beaten by a better filly. She came back from Ireland in good shape, is progressing nicely and we’re on course.”
That rivalry is not the only fascinating feature of the Yorkshire Oaks and may not produce the winner. John Gosden, now training in partnership with his son Thady, has won the race four times and has a live contender in Free Wind, who won a Group 2 event over 2051m at York in May before disappointing when favourite for a Group 2 race over 2800 metres at Goodwood this month.
The ground there was very testing. John Gosden said, “The ground was too deep for her at Goodwood. We’ve freshened her up for this race and hopefully she’ll have good ground to run on at York.”
A threat to all of them is the strongly progressive four-year-old Al Husn, winner of seven of her last eight races, the latest when staying on well to win the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
That was over 1979m on soft ground. Al Husn’s pedigree offers hope that she will stay further although fast ground might not be ideal.
Trainer Roger Varian said, “The trip is an unknown but she shapes as if she’ll get it. She’s never particularly flashy but she’s got such an admirable attitude and she’s tough.”
One certainty is that everyone will be studying the weather.
Related Website：York’s Ebor Festival
O’Brien’s Savethelastdance amazed watchers of last month’s G1 Irish Oaks (2400m) with a late sweeping run that robbed Bluestocking of seemingly certain victory. Now the two improving three-year-old fillies resume combat, with the betting market predicting another success for Savethelastdance.
O’Brien suggested that Thursday’s race might see Savethelastdance in an even better light than in the Irish Oaks. He said, “She is a lovely, big, genuine filly who gets a mile and a half (2400m) very well. Ideally, she might have preferred a stronger pace at the Curragh. When they started to quicken, Ryan Moore had to give her time to go through the gears. He felt when she hit top gear that she would mow them down, and that’s what she did.”
He added, “I think York will suit her as it’s a big, galloping track. There’s no messing there and they usually get going early.”
A remark O’Brien made before the Irish Oaks, reflecting on Savethelastdance’s defeat in the G1 Oaks Stakes (2405m) offers hope for the filly’s opponents. “The ground was quick enough at Epsom for her,” he said. “So she’ll probably prefer a bit more of an ease at the Curragh.”
The sunshine at York and the prospect of fast ground could jeopardise Savethelastdance’s chances. All her successes have come on soft or heavy going. While she was not disgraced in coming second on good to firm ground at Epsom, it was not ideal.
Bluestocking’s ground preferences are less clear but after the Irish Oaks, trainer Ralph Beckett said, “It was a great run and we were just beaten by a better filly. She came back from Ireland in good shape, is progressing nicely and we’re on course.”
That rivalry is not the only fascinating feature of the Yorkshire Oaks and may not produce the winner. John Gosden, now training in partnership with his son Thady, has won the race four times and has a live contender in Free Wind, who won a Group 2 event over 2051m at York in May before disappointing when favourite for a Group 2 race over 2800 metres at Goodwood this month.
The ground there was very testing. John Gosden said, “The ground was too deep for her at Goodwood. We’ve freshened her up for this race and hopefully she’ll have good ground to run on at York.”
A threat to all of them is the strongly progressive four-year-old Al Husn, winner of seven of her last eight races, the latest when staying on well to win the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
That was over 1979m on soft ground. Al Husn’s pedigree offers hope that she will stay further although fast ground might not be ideal.
Trainer Roger Varian said, “The trip is an unknown but she shapes as if she’ll get it. She’s never particularly flashy but she’s got such an admirable attitude and she’s tough.”
One certainty is that everyone will be studying the weather.
Related Website：York’s Ebor Festival
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