Equinties - York day 3

Gm Equinauts

We did it…

A months work delivered in just over a minute. Well done to all who followed and added her to bets.

Safe to say Opulence Thoroughbreds have a good one.

The Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes awaits ROYAL FIXATION now, where as we’re just back at the course looking for the next winner…

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

BIG DECISIONS

It’s fair to say that MINNIE HAUK was really impressive in yesterday’s Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks.

Yes, she won the Epsom and Irish Oaks before yesterday’s assignment, but she showed a proper bit of class on the Knavesmire despite the small field.

Pacemakers seem to be the flavour of the month, and MINNIE HAUK has GARDEN OF EDEN to thank for setting some really nice fractions on the front end. She did a great job, and in this case, her setting even sectionals at the front made a race that looked poor on paper turn into a great watch.

Why? Let’s explain. At the Curragh, when MINNIE HAUK won the Irish Oaks, she was good, but she didn’t set any underwear on fire. She looked a bit laboured, but she eventually got by some alright horses.

So, fast forward to yesterday’s Yorkshire Oaks and stop the picture on the three-furlong pole, it looks like MINNIE HAUK is in trouble. Danny Tudhope sat motionless on ESTRANGE having had a perfect route through the race, and Ryan Moore was getting to work on his mount.

Pick the race back up at the two-furlong pole, and it had all changed. ESTRANGE was the one who needed to find more, and MINNIE HAUK had put a gap between her and David O’Meara’s horse that was wide enough for a tank (not literally, obviously).

For arguably the first time this season, she showed glimmers of a horse who could rock up to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with a chance, and it’s a good job as well, because that’s what the Coolmore lads have planned for her.

Both the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Breeders’ Cup Turf (not the Filly & Mare) were put forward by Aidan O’Brien in his post-race interviews, but naturally, there was also some chat about her stablemate WHIRL, the horse who finished second to MINNIE HAUK in the Epsom Oaks.

O’Brien said: "Ryan was talking to Michael [Tabor] and Derrick [Smith] afterwards and I was earwigging in, and he mentioned the Arc for Whirl. Whirl handles soft ground but goes on good too, while Minnie Hauk is a beautiful mover. We always thought the quicker the ground, the better she'll be and she skipped over that.

"She has to be at the top of the pecking order and at this moment, she's a proven filly for the Arc, but she could go to an Arc or Del Mar [Breeders' Cup]. The Arc very much has to be on her agenda at the moment, but it depends on the ground."

If we were to guess, we think LOS ANGELES and WHIRL could go to the Arc, while MINNIE HAUK could be saved for the Breeders’ Cup, especially if the ground turns up on the slower side at Longchamp.

Still, it’s an enviable position to be in, so fair play to the Coolmore empire.

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