When exciting two year-old Don’t Forget Jack bolted in at Doomben on Wednesday, he got added straight away to my Breednet Black Book not just for his talent, but also his name as my son Jack is now living in the UK and is very excited to be going to the Epsom Derby this weekend.
Jack works for Betfred, so has continued the family interest in racing in his new world and asked me to go through the form for Oaks and Derby to see what I thought and given the topsy turvy nature of the Euro flat season so far, these iconic races have everyone guessing this year!
The Epsom Oaks comes first and is run on Friday night our time and Aidan O’Brien has two of the top three in the market in Ylang Ylang (Frankel) and Rubies are Red (Galileo) with the Aga Khan homebred Ezeliya (Dubawi) also in the mix.
Purchased for 1.5million guineas, Ylang Ylang won a Group I at 1m at her final start last year and was a late closing fifth when returning in the Group I Newmarket 1000 Guineas giving every indication a step up in trip will suit.
The Dermot Weld trained Ezeliya won a maiden last season at her second start, but when winning the Group III Salsabil Stakes (1m2f) at Navan looked a star on the rise with a staying pedigree to match.
Ezeliya is the second winner and first stakes-winner for multiple Group winning Teofilo mare Eziyra, who was also placed in both the Group I Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks. Her stakes-placed grand-dam Eytarna is a sibling to three Group I winning stayers Enzeli and Estimate, who both won the Royal Ascot Gold Cup and Ebadiyla, who won the Irish Oaks.
I don’t know the record of maidens in the Epsom Oaks, but suspect it’s not great, however Rubies are Red is no ordinary maiden.
Third at her only run last year, she was second again in a maiden when resuming, but last start put the writing on the wall when stepped out to a longer journey to finish second in the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial behind You Got To Me (Nathaniel), who is also in the Oaks field.
Galileo will be looking to sire his 100th Group I winner in this race and on pedigree there would be no more fitting winner that Rubies are Red, who is from dual Group I winning blue hen Red Evie, the dam of nine foals to race for eight winners with Ruby looking to keep her mother’s record perfect.
Red Evie has been married to Galileo throughout her stud career and Rubies are Red is a full sibling to Champion Filly and Mare Found, who won an Arc and a Breeders’ Cup Turf, Group III winner Best in the World (dam triple Oaks winner Snowfall) and Group III winners Magical Dream and Divinely, who was third in the Epsom Oaks in 2021.
The Epsom Derby was won last year by Aidan O’Brien with Auguste Rodin, who was able to rebound from an unplaced run as favourite in the Newmarket 2000 Guineas to win the Blue Riband and the stable will be hoping for a similar result this year with City of Troy (Justify).
Hailed as possibly the greatest colt of all time at Ballydoyle, City of Troy left punters underwhelmed when he resumed with a meek effort in the Group I Newmarket 2000 Guineas, but his work has been good since and he is likely to start favoruite.
Hardest to beat may well be his unbeaten stablemate Los Angeles, a big strapping son of Camelot that has won all three starts to date and looks like he’s just warming up.
Godolphin are putting their trust in Dubawi colt Ancient Wisdom, who they bought for €2million at Arqana and he’s already proven his worth as a Group I winner of the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster last year. His first run back this year was a second in the Group II Dante Stakes and the horse that thumped him on that occasion, Economics, is not running in the Derby.
Dubawi is yet to sire an Epsom Derby winner, but Ancient Wisdom could easily change that.
