Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks Stats Guide

By Paul Jones

A Listed contest for three-year-old fillies which acts as a natural stepping stone to the Betfred Oaks, as proven by Enable (2017) and last year’s winner Minnie Hauk. The race had been struggling a little in between Light Shift’s success in 2007 and Enable’s victory a decade later. Enable then added seven further Group 1 races, including two Arcs and two King Georges, to become the Cheshire Oaks’ greatest winner, though Minnie Hauk remains in training after adding the Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks before finishing a clear second in the Arc.

Prior to Light Shift, the previous subsequent Classic winner to take his prize was Bolas in 1994 who later added the Ribblesdale and Irish Oaks, but Forever Together made it two Oaks winners to run in the Cheshire Oaks in as many years in 2018 when reversing placings with Magic Wand at Epsom on much softer ground.

Not that strong a trends race but the market has been a pretty good guide as 16 of the last 24 winners started at no bigger than 11/4. Minnie Hauk was the sixth successful favourite in the last 10 runnings and the market leader had also strung together a sequence of six wins in seven years earlier this century.

Of the last 26 winners only six were seasonal debutantes, while 12 of the last 22 won last time out, with five others having finished runner-up.

Since Light Shift won for Sir Henry Cecil, like the other Classic trials at this meeting it has been the Aidan O’Brien show having won it on a record nine occasions and he has two entries in Amelia Earhart and Sugar Island. However, as with Wings Of Eagles who was beaten at this meeting before winning the Derby, Forever Together was beaten in a Classic trial at this meeting for the same stable before being fully revved up to win at Epsom in recent years, so certainly also keep an eye on Ballydoyle’s placed horses this week going forward.

In addition to Enable, John Gosden also took the spoils with Gertrude Bell in 2010 and Mehdaayih in 2019, and the stable has entered both I’m The One, who currently heads the Oaks betting after a stunning debut success by 6 lengths at Newbury last month, and Brilliant Star, who by 10 lengths at Yarmouth four days later.

Ralph Beckett saddled the winner and third two years ago and has entered A La Prochaine this time around, who won her only start as a two-year-old at Newbury. Barry Hills was overtaken by O’Brien despite saddling seven winners but his son, Charles, doesn’t attack this meeting with the same vigour that his father did. The Johnston stable have won two of the last 13 runnings, and Charlie Johnston has Amora Queen entered.