Yolkshire Oaks
With several group races on the card this coming weekend, Sunday will feature the ladies with the Yolkshire Oaks (G1), to be run over a mile and a half on the turf. The Group I race will offer up a total purse of $750,000 and is open to fillies and mares, three-years-old and up. The weather looks like it will be clear for race day, leaving us with a firm course. Let’s take a look through the eleen horse field for this year’s running.
- Templar Chant (ENG) – liamswan3 – P. Bangs – 11/1
Lightly raced with twelve career starts, the daughter of Frankel (GB) made her most recent start in late May during The Omicron (G1) in Ireland at a mile and a quarter. Well off the pace at the start, the four-year-old filly settled into eleventh out of the gate. Closing late down the stretch, the filly would run out of ground in the end and would finish fourth at the wire, setting a speed figure of one hundred ten. February was the fillies most recent win which came in Berkshire over the same distance during the Earth Is Flat Stakes (G1). Again running from a closing positon, the filly came in late and went on to win by one and a quarter lengths.
2. Fiddleswood (KY) – padrebri15 – R. Whisper – 9/1
The only horse bred in the United States to run on Sunday, the five-year-old mare is a scratch bred brown mare by More Than Ready. The mare made her most recent, and twentieth career start in June during The Far And Away (G3) at a mile and three-eighths. The mare was sent out of the gate well off the pace at the start, settling into thirteenth. She didn’t show much until the field came into the stretch when she finally started to pick up the pace, but she would cross the wire in eighth, setting a speed figure of one hundred six. Her most recent win was in December of last year in Japan during the I Don’t Wanna Stop (G3) at a mile and five-eighths. The mare was closer to the pace in seventh in this start and started challenging other horses earlier on in the race. She would win by an impressive seven and a half lengths with a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred sixteen.
3. Evil Jezzabel (IRE) – asrstar5 – J. Wilson – 4/1
Bringing home career earnings of a little over two-and-a-half million dollars the five-year-old mare bay mare is sired by Sea The Stars and is coming into the race this weekend off of two consecutive group wins. Her most recent start was this past May in Ireland during The Omicron (G1) at a mile and a quarter. The mare would be sent out of the gate towards the middle of the pack in sixth early. She would challenge other runners early in the race. Midway through the race she would take the lead and would go on to win by two and three-quarter lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred fifteen. Prior to this the mare would also win The Shinoda Stakes (G1) at a mile and five-eighths in Japan, taking the field from gate to wire. The filly will be off as the morning line favorite.
4. Wild Impulse (ENG) – fairhaven – Z. Kentucky – 9/1
Making her thirteenth career start this Sunday, this four-year-old filly is sired by Frankel (GB) and has earned half a million in lifetime earnings to date. Her most recent race was in early June during The Noble Spirit (G3) at a mile and a half in Ireland. Sent out of the gate in seventh, the filly started picking off other runners early in the race and was up into second by the middle of the race. Asked for more down the stretch, the filly responded and went on to win by one and a quarter lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred thirteen. The filly returns to Group I company this weekend after a disappointing eleventh place finish in February’s The Spiced Turtle Stakes (G1) at a mile and a half in Japan. The filly is no stranger to the winner’s circle with Group I company however, winning last years The Tomoe Gozen (G1), also in Japan over the same distance.
5. Noble Giant (JPN) – tenpoint9 – T. Small – 14/1
One of the longer shots on the board for Sunday, the Japanese-bred by Noble Mission is seeking out her first Group I win. The most recent start for the four-year-old bay filly came in June over a mile and a quarter during The Epicenter (G2) in New York. Sent out of the gate in sixth towards the middle of the pack, the filly quickly started to challenge other runners. She managed to clinch the win by a head bob at the wire, setting a speed figure of one hundred eleven. Her most recent attempt at Group I company was this past May, also in the states, though at the other end of the country in the the Ugly Breeders Bowl Distaff (G1) over a mile and an eighth. The filly would come home thirteenth here after never seeming to find her ground after being sent out a beat late out of the gate in ninth.
6. Krissmas Gal (IRE) – nuggbug – nuggbug – 7/1
At six years old and sired by the late Galileo (IRE), the bay mare is relatively lightly raced with twenty career starts. A Group III winner, the mare has won six times. Her most recent start was in New York in May during the Sheepherder Beach Handicap (G2) at a mile and three-eighths. Out of the gate twoards the middle of the pack at the start, the mare would move late to make it on the board with a third place finish while setting a speed figure of one hundred nine. Her most recent win was here in Surrey in August of last year over twelve furlongs in a listed stakes race. The mare took the field from gate to wire in this race, winning by three and a half lengths.
7. Beat Of The Music (ENG) – texasace – J. Ledwith – 8/1
Sired by the great Frankel (GB), this four-year-old filly most recently started in an allowance race over eleven furlongs during a step down in class this past month. The filly stalked the pace early in the race in second before taking over the lead midway through the race. She would go on to win by a daylight margin of fifteen and a half lengths with a speed figure of one hundred eight. Her most recent group start was her prior race, which came in The Eire (G3) at a mile and a half in Ireland. The filly, further back at the start in seventh out of the gate, would make a run halfway through the race to cross the wire in fourth.
8. Giant’s Rib (IRE) – stormrun – 15/1
The morning line longshot for Sunday, the former claimer turned Group I winner most recently started this past June in The Far And Away (G3) at a mile and three-eighths in Germany. Seventh out of the gate at the start, the chestnut daughter of Ribchester made a late run down the stretch to win by a length while setting a speed figure of one hundred twelve. Her last start with Group I company was in November of last year in Belgium during the Euro Distaff Final (G1) over the same distance in which she would finish eleventh.
9. Atomic Angel (IRE) – tatty – K. Ledwith – 7/1
Bred in Ireland, the four-year-old bay filly will be making her first start against Group I company this Sunday. Out of Mehmas, the filly’s dam was a Group III winner; the filly is the only Group winner that she has produced to date. The most recent start for the filly came last month in Denmark during the Scandanavian Distaff (G3) at a mile and five-sixteenths. Sent out of the gate to settle towards the back half of the field in eighth, the filly was asked to challenge her other contenders midway through the race. She would end up out of ground at the wire, crossing in third while setting a speed figure of one hundred eleven. Her most recent win came in her prior start in May during The Corridor (G2) over the same distance in France. Closer to the pace in a stalking position in fourth early on, the filly would win the race by a neck.
10. I Love Rick James (AUS) – givenheros – Q. Cassell – 5/1
Bred in Australia, the five-year-old bay mare is an End Of Year award winner and has brought home two-and-half-million in lifetime earnings over the course of twenty-two career starts. The most recent start for the mare was in Newmarket in late June during The Landshark Oaks (G2) at a mile and a half. Sent out of the gate in a mid-pack position, the filly had moved up into fourth by the midpoint of the race. Asked for more in the stretch, the filly responded but came up short to finish second while setting a speed figure of one hundred fifteen. The most recent win for the filly would be her prior start, which came in an allowance race over the same distance in Japan on a track rated as good. Stalking the pace in fourth, she took over the lead midway through the race to win convincingly by eight and three-quarter lengths.
11. Herrsherr (IRE) – givensensation – E. Edwards – 6/1
Coming into the race this weekend off of three consecutive wins, the five-year-old brown mare is seeking out her first Group I win with her twenty-second career start. Her most recent win was in her last race in June during The Landshark Oaks (G2) in Newmarket over a mile and a half. In this race the mare would take the field from gate to wire, winning by a length with a speed figure of one hundred fifteen. Before this, she would also win the Audrey Hepburn Distaff (G3) as well as an allowance race over eleven and a half furlongs in South Africa. Her last Group I race was in was in the Euro Distaff Final (G1) at a mile and three-eigths in which she would finish sixth.
Flrancho’s Picks:
Win: Evil Jezebel (IRE)
Place: Wild Impulse (ENG)
Show: Herrsherr (IRE)