Equinties - the Derby

Gm Equinauts

Today’s newsletter is one the most difficult we’ve had to write to date. No, no, not because anyone has died! But because we have absolutely no idea what the weather and going will be come racing on Derby day!

We can’t sit around scratching our heads (or our arse’s) all morning, so we are going to trust the rain arrives during racing and pick the mud pedigree’s. We hope we’re right!

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUND UP

RYAN MOORE

Dear Ryan,

our beautiful, beautiful, perfect jockey.

You are truly the best, more, simply unparalleled in your craft.

Racing needs you and we love you.

Please never retire.

Forever yours,

Equinties.

Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien landed a Group 1 double on Oaks Day thanks to JAN BRUGHEL in the Coronation Cup and, more importantly, MINNIE HAUK in the Oaks.

Let’s start with the Coronation Cup because this was truly an epic ride from Ballydoyle’s number one.

Plenty were quick to give Moore his flowers for last Sunday’s ride on CAMILLE PISARRO in the Prix Du Jockey Club, and they were right to. He found a gap that was tight, and from there, the race was over.
Arguably, this ride in the Coronation Cup was so much better, as the thoroughly talented pilot had to do so much more work.

Moore was getting at the 2024 St Leger winner before they started turning for Tattenham Corner. He was keen to keep his mount ahead of CALANDAGAN and right on the hindquarters of his stablemate, CONTINUOUS.

If he didn’t keep nudging JAN BRUEGHEL along, he may well have still been ahead of CALANDAGAN, but the margin would have been so much smaller, and Mickael Barzalona would have had an easier task.
As it happened, Moore got his partner to strike first, and while he isn’t a rapid horse, he gallops so well once he gets into top gear. That is all down to Moore.

Anyway, the Coronation Cup was a great race to watch, and now it’s all about ‘where next’? The Lads already have ILLINOIS for the Gold Cup, so could he go for the King George, or even the Irish St Leger later this season?

Now, let’s talk about (our wining ante-post) MINNIE HAUK and, well, DESERT FLOWER.

It shouldn’t be understated just how good Aidan O’Brien is at readying horses for big targets by running them early in the season. JAN BRUGHEL is one example, and MINNIE HAUK, to an extent, is another.

The horse that won the Cheshire Oaks earlier this season was good, but she wouldn’t have won the Oaks on that effort alone. She improved by a good 15-20lbs to win the Oaks yesterday, and she was very good at reeling in her stablemate WHIRL.

There’s an argument to suggest that WHIRL could have won if she hadn’t been used as a bit of a pacemaker, but we’ll never know if that’s true. Well, unless they clash again.

MINNIE HAUK travelled like the winner around Tattenham Corner, but as they came down the home straight, WHIRL looked to be going better. Again, Moore rallied his mount, and she just got up in the nick of time. The front two pulled well clear of the third, DESERT FLOWER, so the performance was certainly good.

Did DESERT FLOWER stay? Even though she looked to run on late, William Buick said she didn’t have that kick over the distance, and it’s hard to know if she did truly stay 1m4f because the race was on softer ground.

She also ran with her mouth wide open and that may have caused a breathing issue as her pallet might have been flapping around every where, we imagine she’ll wear something like a cross noseband to her mouth shut next time?

Appleby is keen to get her back on a more conventional track, potentially York for the Yorkshire Oaks, as he felt like she didn’t handle Epsom on the ground. Fair enough.

As for MINNIE HAUK, aspirations of Longchamp in October are on the mind of Aidan O’Brien, as he said: "There's every possibility she could run in an Arc. She can go at a much stronger tempo than today so it's definitely a possibility. The improvement she's shown from Chester to here is a little bit abnormal. She's a middle-distance filly who was working like a Guineas filly."

More: https://www.racingpost.com/news/reports/ryan-moore-and-minnie-hauk-down-whirl-in-enthralling-oaks-duel-for-dominant-aidan-obrien-a8m628W2NBYY/

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