Equinties - Chester day 2

Gm Equinauts

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Thank you to all who fought for our freedom.

Let’s dive in.

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CHESTER DAY 1 REVIEW

Aidan O’Brien cleaned up yesterday. He took home both the Cheshire Oaks and Chester Vase yesterday, and now he has two more horses to add to his Epsom team.

So, what did we make of them? Let’s start with MINNIE HAUK, an expensive winner of the Cheshire Oaks.

She could be quite a nice horse, and she stuck to the task well in the final furlong. The front three pulled clear of the fourth, but there will remain the question of how deep the form is.

She galloped through the line, a positive in any race, and Ryan Moore was complimentary of her credentials.

The Oaks is the plan, and now she is an available blend of prices between 9/1 to 16/1 for the race behind ante-post fave DESERT FLOWER. She just looks quite uncomplicated, so that would have to be a bonus for her potential Epsom credentials, though she will need to continue improving.

While we’re talking about the Cheshire Oaks, keep an eye on CASPI STAR going forward. She didn’t have a fun route through, but she stayed on when her path to the line was finally clear. She will be a nice horse for the future.

After the Cheshire Oaks, our vote LAMBOURN won the Chester Vase.

In contrast to MINNIE HAUK, LAMBOURN had to work a bit harder to win, and again the fast finishers were clear of the fourth.

He doesn’t scream like an Epsom horse, or a Derby winner, but he could be one for the Leger later on in the season. He just stays forever, and he is a bit slow into stride. You need a bit of tactical speed around Epsom, especially around Tattenham Corner, so he might not be the ideal candidate for the Derby.

Even when looking at some of the comments from connections, quotes like “has to be in the mix” don’t ooze confidence regarding LAMBOURN compared to what Paul Smith said about MINNIE HAUK.

On the filly, he said: "That [the Oaks] is the plan. Aidan always thought she'd improve a lot for this run. She's a very kind, uncomplicated filly with a great attitude. The step up in trip obviously helped and you'd be thinking of the Oaks.

"Ryan was niggling away just to get her interested, but she's kind and always answers to the jockey and she just kept on finding. Ryan was quite sweet on her."

So, it’s an 80% yay on MINNIE HAUK and a pretty 50/50 vote of confidence on LAMBOURN who really didn’t excite us and had the advantage of racing fitness.

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