Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1)
August 22, 2024
The Kanvesmire hosts its second Group 1 of the week. Four are tight at the top of the market. Queen Of The Pride, Content, Emily Upjohn and You Got To Me all trading between 3/1 and 9/2.
The G2 Lancashire Oaks winner, Queen Of The Pride has drifted since yesterday easing from 5/2 to 7/2. John and Thady Gosden’s first string steps into G1 company for the first time having been an impressive winner over the trip at Haydock. Their second string, Emily Upjohn, a double Group 1 winner is also a 7/2 shot. Her finest hour came in last year’s Coronation Cup where she beat Westover. This year going off favourite at Epsom she finished fourth. She went to Ireland for the Pretty Poly where she tried to boss it, taking it up 4f out but she was collared late by Bluestocking, (fourth in the International yesterday). Again she was sent off favourite for the Nassau on the back of her Curragh run but ran poorly at Goodwood making no impression well beaten in sixth.
Ballydoyle has taken the first of this weeks Group 1’s with City Of Troy taking the International yesterday and will look to add to that with Content, generally 3/1 favourite now.
Content leaving the ring at the Curragh for the Irish Oaks
Last year she won a Maiden first time out and was talked about as something special but was then beaten at Listed level and G3 level and looked to have gone off the boil and down the pecking order at Ballydoyle. Then bang, she bounced back to win a G3 over a mile when ignored in the market returning at 20/1. That put her on the plane to Santa Anita where she wasn’t beaten far when fourth in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Four runs this year all at Group 1 level, her last two have been her best. She was an eye-catching third to Bluestocking and Emily Upjohn when coming from the back in the Pretty Poly over 1m2f. She improved again to run second to You Got To Me in the Irish Oaks over 1m4f, again coming from off the pace.
Ralph Beckett’s You Got To Me trades at 4/1. In the G2 Ribbledale at Royal Ascot she raced too keenly finishing fourth to Port Fairy and Lava Dream. Settling much better at the Curragh in the Irish Oaks she not only reversed the form with the Ribbledale pair, both of them finishing well down the field, Port Fairy having raced prominently faded away with Lava Dream running on midfield failing to pick up, it was You Got To Me who brought her form to a new level. Behind her was Content who like in the Pretty Poly had plenty to do but kept finding.
You Got To Me after winning the Irish Oaks
The other contestants are Hughie Morrison’s Mistral Star, a 12/1 shot and Willie Haggas’s Sea Theme, a 14/1 shot. Both were easy winners of Listed contests at Newmarket and Clairefontaine last time respectively with the former having run third and the latter sixth to Queen Of The Pride at Haydock.
This is competitive, Queen Of The Pride is no doubt on the up, the fillies she beat having won at a lower level however the difference between G1 and G2 could be starkly contrasted here. Emily Upjohn is a class act on her day but she hasn’t won since last year’s Coronation Cup beaten on six occasions since. That leaves the first and second from the Irish Oaks as the most likely pair to fight it out. You Got To Me got first run at the Curragh. This time on this track Ryan Moore will need to ride Content more forward while still preserving her energy for a finishing kick. If he does there’s every chance she’ll get the better of Ralph Beckett’s filly.
Recommendation
Content 3/1 win
Content/You Got To Me (Reverse FC)
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