The pace of the Oaks compared to the Derby was different because Passion got taken on early. She didn’t get an uncontested lead up front and that meant that ultimately Ennistymon toed Love into the race. Love was brilliant. The clock says it and her last furlong was sensational.
She looked brilliant in the QIPCO 1,000 Guineas but she proved it in the Oaks. Already, we’re all now thinking ‘Wow, where does she meet Enable?’ Could they meet in the Yorkshire Oaks? There’s Magical to throw into the mix as well. Could all three horses line up there next month?
It appears as though everything is being geared towards the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October with Enable and will that mean that she could side-step a clash with Love in the Yorkshire Oaks in August.
I don’t know. I thought Enable ran a really good race in the Eclipse on Sunday. She was in against horses which had a run and she hadn’t run since being beaten in the Arc last season.
MORE FROM RUBY: The Clock Says That The Best Horse Won The Epsom Derby
The vibes weren’t good about her either at Sandown. Saying all of that, you’d have to love everything she did. I’d be fairly happy if I was John Gosden. On the back of all that though, can Enable give Love 9lbs whenever they do meet? I don’t think there’s any horse in training that can give Love 9lbs.
Before that, does Love take on Fancy Blue in the Irish Oaks this month? And will Peaceful and Alpine Star re-oppose in the same race?
The racing calendar is now taking shape…
We’ve got some brilliant races to look forward to and are we now getting a preview of what the back end of the Flat season is going to look like?
The programme is starting to normalise itself again and will be from Goodwood this month onwards. York’s Ebor meeting will be in its usual slot in August, as will the Irish Champions Weekend in September. Because we’ve had such a crammed Flat season, it’s now becoming more reminiscent of a National Hunt campaign than a Flat season.
From now onwards, we still have so many clashes coming up. Usually in the Flat season, we’ve already had some of these clashes either in the various Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes.
It’s the same with Royal Ascot and the various Derbies, in that we’d already have had these clashes. Usually by the time the Irish Derby is over, we know who the top three-year-old is but because of the way things have gone this season, we still don’t know.
We still have all of that to come and we’re heading into some brilliant clashes. We’re even looking forward to some of the rematches that we have to come as well.
I think we’re in for a cracking back end to the Flat season. We’re going to be entertained and it’s great that Flat racing will be able to entertain, because that hasn’t always been the case.
Read More:
- Ruby Walsh: The Clock Says That The Best Horse Won The Epsom Derby
- Horse Racing: How to watch racing for free with Paddy Power
THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
