Tag Archive for: Coronation Cup

Monday Musings: Aidan’s Hat-Trick Heroics

So Aidan and the boys won the Betfred-sponsored Coronation Cup, Oaks and Derby last weekend, picking up around £1.5 million in the process, writes Tony Stafford. Lambourn, the well-backed third favourite on Derby Day, far out-performed his much more talked-about stable companions The Lion In Winter and short-priced favourite Delacroix in almost a repetition of Serpentine’s all-the-way easy victory under Emmet McNamara at the height of Covid five years ago.

Ryan Moore had selected Delacroix from the gang of trials winners rather than Chester Vase hero Lambourn and, in retrospect, it was maybe a little strange as Aidan always sends his best candidates to Chester, its timing best suiting Epsom.

People may question the suitability of a one-mile always-turning circuit as a recipe for revealing Epsom Classic talent, but I know Henry Cecil always reckoned that a big horse would be fine around the Roodeye if he was well-balanced. Lambourn certainly is.

He was picked up almost by default by Wayne Lordan, the apparent third string – Colin Keane, the regular Irish champion was on Dante flop The Lion In Winter. But the stamina Lambourn showed in winning the Chester Vase (just beyond 1m4f) last month convinced Wayne to go hard in the first furlong out of the stalls – to wake his mount up as much as anything – as he knew, unlike many in the field, his mount would not fail through lack of staying power.

Auguste Rodin (2023) and City Of Troy last year were fully expected winners but two other runnings in the last decade have gone to perceived third or higher strings. Wings Of Eagle, the fifth choice in terms of expectations in 2017 was a 40/1 shot when Padraig Beggy guided him home.

Beggy has been rarely seen since on the racecourse, but he did return to Epsom two years later to partner outsider Sovereign as a pacemaker in the Derby and finished tenth. He then rode him as a 25/1 outsider in the Irish Derby and won it!

McNamara might not have seen much riding action after Serpentine’s triumph, but it’s hardly surprising as he had been combining his riding with studying at Griffith College, Dublin. He graduated from there in 2018 with first-class honours in accountancy and finance in 2018 and works in that capacity in the Coolmore operation. Talk about top-class staff!

Moved across to Ballydoyle when David Wachman, John Magnier’s son-in-law, stopped training to take a behind the scenes role in the Coolmore machine, Lordan was third string to Ryan Moore and Seamie Heffernan until that veteran left the team a couple of years or so ago.

Lordan, one of those outdated characters, a true lightweight, had a serious injury during the 2023 Irish Derby which took eight months to overcome. As he said after Saturday’s triumph, he has a wonderful job. It was only a neck that denied him the Oaks-Derby double when Moore’s mount Minnie Hauk just edged out he and Whirl after another flawless front-running ride around Epsom’s tricky 1m4f course the previous afternoon, showing what jewels are available to the Coolmore number two on which to demonstrate his skills.

The modest Mr Lordan affirmed that he will have been in for work at 7 a.m. as usual yesterday and after no drunken celebratory stupor. Like the trainer he’s a teetotaller.

Aidan O’Brien has now won the Derby and Oaks eleven times each and, for good measure, ten Coronation Cups after Friday’s determined triumph for Jan Brueghel over the odds-on French four-year-old Calandagan. The Francis-Henri Graffard-trained horse was adding to his string of half-hearted second places (now four in a row) behind a typically tough O’Brien stayer.

In all, it’s 47 UK Classics from the 139 that have been contested since his first winning attempt in the 1,000 Guineas in 1998. That’s around 33 per cent. At least everyone else has been able to share the remaining two-thirds although, as time goes on, the dominance if anything is strengthening.

Aidan’s 22 Epsom Classics have all come this century, thus 22 of the 52 to have been run, or 42%! When Michael Tabor and Mrs Sue Magnier add their joint win with the Andre Fabre-trained Pour Moi, they are on 12.

To add to the winner, Coolmore’s partners also own Tennessee Stud, who finished fast from off the pace for the Joseph O’Brien stable. This son of Wootton Bassett was bred by Joseph’s mother Anne-Marie. Wootton Bassett has been the runaway star of the Coolmore firmament of late and his fee for this year was raised to an almost unthinkable €300k.

But even at that lofty price, in this Derby line-up he wasn’t the most expensive of the 14 sires (New Bay, Ghaiyyath, Sea The Stars and Frankel were doubly represented). Juddmonte’s Frankel’s fee is £350k. Dubawi, with one runner yesterday, has the same fee for his services at Darley Stud.

Every November the stud fees for Coolmore’s stallions are made public. I was shocked in 2023 that Australia, the 2014 Derby and Irish Derby winner and a son of another outstanding Epsom hero in the peerless Galileo, had his fee for 2024 reduced to €17,500. If potential clients needed any further encouragement, his dam is the Oaks winner Ouija Board.

I mentioned it to one of Coolmore’s stallion sales team at the time, who said it reflected his lack of popularity, probably because his progeny often needed time. He added that the only people that seemed to have confidence in him still were Aidan and Anne-Marie who sent a good number of mares to him.

Checking on my facts, I was further stunned that the 2025 fee was down to ten grand (Euro, about £8,400). Aidan and Anne-Marie sure know their stuff. It’s not too late for Australia to start going back towards the €50k at which he began his stallion career. Note, for example, that he is still at Coolmore while others have been sent elsewhere due to the hard-nosed realism that characterises the stud’s management. Of the 20 published stallion figures for flat race rather than jumps sires, only one was listed at a lower figure.

Watching from home due to entirely foreseen but inescapable circumstances, I was momentarily fooled into thinking that Lester Piggott had come back to ride in the Derby in the second running after his death. As the horses walked around, I noticed just how similar Rossa Ryan carries himself on a horse. When you get the chance, have a look. No doubt he’ll win the race one day, but the Dante Stakes winner Pride Of Arras never looked in with a chance.

One fact that certainly didn’t fool me was the dispiriting sight of the sparsely populated Hill. Every first Saturday in May, in Louisville, Kentucky, upwards of 100,000 squeeze in, a tradition in US racing that goes back to the days of the famed War Admiral/Seabiscuit match race at Pimlico in November 1938, where upstart Seabiscuit met his regally bred Kentucky Derby-winning rival and humbled him.

When I used to go to Epsom with my dad in the 1960s, there were more people there during the three-day (now one) Spring meeting in April than deigned to turn up on Saturday.

All the years I used to go there when with the Daily Telegraph, I arrived for breakfast in the old lads’ canteen, waiting for a glimpse of a few of the contenders having a leg shake in the morning, and the crowd was already building up. Many scores of buses lined the straight and the Hill was packed. On Saturday there was a sprinkling of people and even Ollie Bell and former England hockey goalie Sam Quek couldn’t disguise the fact that there was enough room for kids to play impromptu football matches.

Apparently, the Jockey Club, who run Epsom, is considering how to deal with the problem. The remedy is simple. Charge a tenner for cars and allow free admission. Then people will begin to flock back, find it an enjoyable experience and one that will develop as the years go on. I’ve never been so embarrassed. Derby Day once was a great British tradition. For most of our much-changed society, it’s an irrelevance. Thank goodness ITV think it’s worth making the effort.

Many say switching from Wednesday was a big mistake but, since Covid, it seems so few people these days have physically to GO to work, that simplification is a red herring.

It’s not as if there’s loads of competition from other sports at this time of year. On Saturday, England played a World Cup qualifying match against Andorra. Who? Our brave boys, rated number four in the world, hammered the opposition (rated 173 – I didn’t know there were that many countries) by a single goal to nil. Some of them are on £300k a week. Worth every penny I’d say.

- TS

No excuses from Graffard after Calandagan misses out again

Francis-Henri Graffard made no excuses for Calandagan after his stable star suffered yet another near-miss at Group One level in the Betfred Coronation Cup at Epsom.

A brilliant winner of the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer, the four-year-old went on to give Derby and Eclipse hero City Of Troy a run for his money in the Juddmonte International at York before suffering a narrow defeat behind Anmaat in Ascot’s Champion Stakes.

Having picked up the silver medal for the third time in succession on his return to action in the Dubai Sheema Classic in late March, Calandagan was an 8-13 favourite to break his top-level duck on the Surrey Downs but again came off second-best, with Aidan O’Brien’s Jan Brueghel keeping him at bay by half a length.

“I don’t have any excuses. The horse had the perfect run; Mickael (Barzalona) gave him a ride with plenty of thought. Going down the hill he found himself behind Ryan (Moore, riding Jan Brueghel) and gave the horse plenty of time to balance himself,” said Graffard.

“He challenged him, probably took the lead for a moment and then just as they started to climb again, you could see that Ryan was finding more.

“He’s a very talented horse who needs to win a Group One, but I’m sure he will. He always gives his best. I don’t have any excuses. It was a good performance from him.”

Considering future plans, the French trainer added: “He’s in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, don’t forget he ran in Dubai so hasn’t run in France this year.

“Did I do enough at home? I think he was ready, but a tough O’Brien horse beat me, a horse who will keep finding more.”

Barzalona felt Calandagan did not help his cause at the start. He said: “He’s always slowly away, we cannot manage differently with him at the start, but once he found his rhythm I was behind Ryan at Tattenham Corner and I was pretty happy to be there.

“I think I hit the front 100 yards before the line and he kind of just stayed on and got a bit tired going uphill. The O’Brien horse was just a little bit stronger today.

“I hope one day we will be able to break a little bit faster and be able to get a better position earlier, but he has his own rhythm and we’ll have to deal with that for the moment.

“He’s getting more mature and it’s the first time he’s run over this kind of different track, so he ran well.”

Seven lengths further behind in third was Marco Botti’s Hong Kong Vase hero Giavellotto.

“It was a good run, but they were a couple of proper horses in front of us,” said the Newmarket handler.

“My horse has run with credit, but Aidan said they would go hard and that’s the way it turned out.”

Unbeaten Desert Flower heads Oaks field

Desert Flower will face eight rivals as she bids for a second Classic strike in Friday’s Betfred Oaks at Epsom.

The Charlie Appleby-trained filly extended her unbeaten record to five with an all-the-way success in last month’s 1000 Guineas and she is a short-priced favourite to take the step up to a mile and a half in her stride.

Desert Flower is one of two contenders for Godolphin along with the supplemented Elwateen, who finished a fine fourth in the Guineas for Saeed bin Suroor on what was just her second ever start.

Aidan O’Brien has trained 10 Oaks winners so far and he fields three this time, with Chester Oaks winner Minnie Hauk, Lingfield victor Giselle and Musidora winner Whirl all going for gold.

Qilin Queen and Revoir, first and second in a Newbury Listed contest last time out, renew their rivalry for Ed Walker and Ralph Beckett respectively, while Joseph O’Brien’s Wemighttakedlongway and outsider Go Go Boots for John and Thady Gosden complete the line up.

French raider Calandagan leads seven declarations for the Betfred Coronation Cup on the same card.

The four-year-old was narrowly beaten on his seasonal bow in the Sheema Classic at Meydan in April, but is a clear market leader for Francis-Henri Graffard in the Group One heat.

O’Brien saddles two with Jan Brueghel and Continuous, the last two St Leger winners, both lining up.

Marco Botti’s Giavellotto was fifth in the Sheema Classic and tries his luck again, with Ancient Wisdom, Bellum Justum and the Beckett-trained You Got To Me, winner of last year’s Irish Oaks and now in the Amo Racing silks, the other contenders.

Desert Flower chasing more Classic glory as nine go forward for Oaks

A total of nine horses are in contention for the Betfred Oaks on Friday, with Desert Flower on track to bid for a Classic double.

The Charlie Appleby-trained daughter of Night Of Thunder took her unbeaten record to five in landing the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, her first start since ending her two-year-old campaign with victory in the Fillies’ Mile.

In fourth at Newmarket was Saeed bin Suroor’s Elwateen, running a big race on her second career start. She has been supplemented at a cost of £30,000 by her Shadwell connections, who as expected have taken out Falakeyah.

Aidan O’Brien has three leading chances of making it an 11th win in the Epsom showpiece, with trial winners Giselle and Minnie Hauk having looked good at Lingfield and Chester respectively while Whirl impressed at York.

The Betfred Coronation Cup on the same card features eight, headed by Francis-Henri Graffard’s Calandagan, whose last three starts have been runner-up finishes in the Juddmonte International, Champion Stakes and Dubai Sheema Classic.

Last year’s St Leger winner Jan Brueghel is one of the possibles for O’Brien, with Marco Botti’s Giavellotto another of note.

Giavellotto given Coronation Cup target by Botti

Giavellotto is poised to remain at a mile and a half, with Marco Botti eyeing a tilt at the Coronation Cup at Epsom next month.

The six-year-old previously excelled in staying events but in recent times has enjoyed plenty of success over 12 furlongs – including when winning the Hong Kong Vase in December – and his team are keen to throw their hat in the ring for what could be a stellar renewal on the Downs on June 6.

“Our plan is to try the Coronation Cup and that is what we will do as long as he continues to be fine. He came back well from Dubai and we have freshened him up and we’re happy with him,” said Botti.

“It looks like it will probably be the best Coronation Cup in 10 years maybe – you keep hearing there are a lot of top-class horses going there and it could end up being a really strong Group One, but we’ve got to take a chance.”

The son of Mastercraftsman was last seen finishing fifth in the Dubai Sheema Classic in early April but his handler is happy to draw a line through that performance, confident they are making the correct call to skip the chance to win a third straight Yorkshire Cup to head to Epsom.

Botti added: “I wasn’t disappointed with his run in Dubai and I thought it just didn’t pan out for him. He was drawn wide in (stall) nine and you have to either try to go forward and cut across or take a pull and drop in and we ended up too far back in a slow-run race and it didn’t suit him.

“I feel he is much stronger than he was as a three-year-old and I’m confident we should stick to a mile and a half this year rather than go up in trip. I’m confident on good ground and with a bit of luck, he could land a big one this year.”

Calandagan earmarked for Coronation Cup challenge

Francis-Henri Graffard is eyeing further success on British soil, with a trip to Epsom for the Coronation Cup on the cards for Dubai Sheema Classic runner-up Calandagan.

The Frenchman claimed major prizes in Britain with both Calandagan and Goliath last season and is already plotting more raids this term, having been delighted with how the former performed in his return at Meydan on Dubai World Cup night.

“It was a lovely performance for a first run of the season over a mile and a half and I was very pleased,” said Graffard.

“He’s a good horse and I think he will come on for that good performance.

“You will see him in two months at Epsom for the Coronation Cup.”

Calandagan was a regular visitor to Britain last season, impressing at Royal Ascot when winning the King Edward VII Stakes, before giving City Of Troy most to think about at York when second in the Juddmonte International Stakes, a race recognised by Longines as the world’s best in 2024.

Sky Bet Ebor Festival – York Racecourse – Wednesday August 21st
Calandagan (left) finished second to City Of Troy at York (Mike Egerton/PA)

The son of Gleneagles would again have to settle for the silver medal when returning to Ascot for the season-ending Qipco Champion Stakes.

However, following his encouraging return in the Middle East – when running on behind Japanese winner Danon Decile – the four-year-old could compete over 12 furlongs in Britain for the first time since winning at the distance at last year’s Royal meeting.

Moore shines as Luxembourg makes all in Coronation Cup

Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg powered home to take the Holland Cooper Coronation Cup under a canny front-running ride from Ryan Moore.

The 9-4 chance was always handily placed in the Group One, which was run at a slow pace in the early stages, as only five lined up for the Epsom showpiece.

Turning for home, the five-year-old was asked to accelerate by his jockey and he was well able to do so, dashing for the line and holding off the chasing Hamish to succeed by a length, as 7-4 favourite Emily Upjohn finished fourth.

O’Brien said: “Ryan controlled everything and at halfway he had everyone where he wanted them. It was an incredible ride.

“Ryan obviously always makes his own mind up, we always talk about different scenarios but once the gates open, he makes his own mind up. Obviously in the big races, he’s incredible.”

Luxembourg has now claimed Group One triumphs at two, three, four and five, but this was a first victory over a mile and a half at the third attempt.

O’Brien added: “We always thought he was a mile-and-a-half horse. We ran him a bit short through the winter because the races were there, but genuinely he gets a mile and a half well.

“When he ran in the Arc, the ground was very soft and other things didn’t work for him, but I’d say he’s made to be a King George horse.

“This year he’s changed into an older horse physically, we think. We probably ran him too short (in first two races of the year) to be fair to him, we asked him to do things that probably wasn’t fair to him. I think the last day we ran him over nine furlongs. Ryan just said he was a lot better than those runs.

“He gets a mile and a half well and he loves fast ground. I think nice ground will be a help to him, too. He’s a great horse to have, I think he will travel plenty. He’s at that age now and has a great mind on him.”

The Betfred Derby Festival – Ladies Day – Epsom Downs Racecourse
Luxembourg beats Hamish in the Holland Cooper Coronation Cup (Adam Davy/PA).

Connections of Hamish were understandably thrilled with their eight-year-old, who is trained by William Haggas for his father, Brian.

“I’m thrilled to bits with him, we could have just done with more rain,” said Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband..

“Ryan has ridden a brilliant race on the winner, he did what he did on Candleford last week in Ireland – steady, steady, steady then ‘whoosh’ and that doesn’t really sort of suit Hamish, he’s a stayer.

“The ground is important to him and it wasn’t wet enough. I said to William this morning ‘are we doing the right thing?’, but it might not rain for three months and you have to go. The problem is with him, every time he runs you are just terrified it is going to be his last run and he breaks down again. It’s pathetic but he’s like my pet.

The Betfred Derby Festival – Ladies Day – Epsom Downs Racecourse
King Charles III and Queen Camilla present the Coronation Cup trophy (John Walton/PA).

“I would be delighted if it rained all summer, he’s in everything, he’s in the King George and he’s in the Hardwicke and the ideal race would probably be the Irish St Leger. We missed York and Chester because of the ground and we missed the Irish St Leger last year because of the ground being too fast. Good to soft is the fastest it can be and ideally softer.

“He’s a bloody star and I’m thrilled to bits with him.”

Of beaten favourite Emily Upjohn, John Gosden said: “Obviously it was a steady pace, she’s a mile-and-a-half filly and wants a good pace.

“We’re happy and I did warn everyone before that this race would bring her on. She’s only run twice in the last year, and at home her work has been somewhat idle and this race will bring her on a bundle.

“We’ll look at something like the Hardwicke at Ascot, but she needs racing now and that will bring her on a lot.”

Emily Upjohn primed for Coronation Cup defence

With a proven liking for Epsom and a solid return under her belt already this season, Emily Upjohn is fully expected to put up a staunch defence of her Holland Cooper Coronation Cup crown on Friday.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained mare was favourite for the Oaks on this card in 2022, but suffered an agonising defeat, failing by just a short head against Tuesday after stumbling and losing plenty of ground at the start.

The daughter of Sea The Stars corrected her Epsom record in this race 12 months ago, beating the classy colt Westover by a cosy length and three-quarters under Frankie Dettori.

Frankie Dettori celebrates with winning connections
Frankie Dettori celebrates with winning connections (Steven Paston for The Jockey Club)

Mixed fortunes followed at Sandown and Ascot, and she had a 245-day absence to overcome when running in the Sheema Classic in March. Not surprisingly she needed the outing in finishing fifth, but all appears to have gone smoothly since.

John Gosden said: “She worked very nicely last week and I’m pleased with her. It was a very good run I thought earlier in the year in the Sheema Classic, where they played with the pace. I liked the way she finished her race off and she wasn’t beaten far.

“It’s not easy with fillies in March, training them in the winter, and she’d been off since the previous July, so she needed to get back on track. She ran a lovely race and she’s done well physically since then.

“This was always the next step for her. We are trying to follow the same sort of path as last year when she went on to Sandown for the Eclipse and was beaten only half a length by Paddington. I don’t know what happened when she ran in the King George after that, but about four of them ran appallingly that day. Take nothing from the winner there, but it was a very strange race.”

Emily Upjohn (red silks) was so close to winning the Oaks
Emily Upjohn (red silks) was so close to winning the Oaks (John Walton/PA)

Of her liking for Epsom and that narrow Oaks reverse, Gosden, who was speaking to the British Champions Series, added: “She handles Epsom well and was a touch unlucky in the Oaks, but that’s life.”

Emily Upjohn is set to be a warm order, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Luxembourg next best followed by last year’s French Derby fourth Feed The Flame for Pascal Bary.

Ryan Moore rides Luxembourg and has a healthy respect for the opposition.

“It is obvious that Emily Upjohn is very much the one to beat here,” he said in his Betfair blog.

“She was probably at her best when beating Westover in this race last season, she shaped well enough in the Sheema Classic on her return and any drying conditions would just add to her chances.

“But Luxemburg doesn’t have much to find with her if he is on his A-game, although he has to bounce back from a modest run in Meydan last time, admittedly. He is a three-time Group One winner and, while his best form has come over 10 furlongs, he showed he stayed this trip when seventh in the Arc on deep ground a couple of years ago.

Ryan Moore with Luxembourg after victory in the Irish Champion Stakes
Ryan Moore with Luxembourg after victory in the Irish Champion Stakes (Donall Farmer/PA)

“If the favourite can be beaten, I’d hope my horse is the one to do it, but I do also respect Feed The Flame, as he was very good when he beat Adelaide River in the Grand Prix de Paris last year. He is dangerous.”

The Westover colours of Juddmonte will be carried by the useful Harry Charlton-trained mare Time Lock, who was supplemented for the race.

“She’s a mile-and-a-half older mare and options are few and far between,” said Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s European racing manager.

“We just felt it suited her programme well, it didn’t look like there’d be a huge amount of runners, so we just thought it was a nice fit and not too far from home.

“The track is an unknown, but she handles the undulations at Newmarket well so hopefully she’ll be able to handle Epsom.”

Completing the six declared runners is the William Haggas-trained Hamish, unbeaten in his last five starts but who has a definite preference for suitable cut in the ground.

Forest Fairy leads Ralph Beckett’s four-pronged assault in Betfred Oaks

Ralph Beckett is responsible for four of the 12 runners declared as he goes in search of a third victory in Friday’s Betfred Oaks at Epsom.

The Kimpton Downs handler has saddled two previous winners of the fillies’ Classic, with Look Here’s triumph in 2008 followed by the success of Talent five years later.

This time around he fires a four-pronged assault, with the Cheshire Oaks first and third, Forest Fairy and Seaward, joined by the Lingfield Oaks Trial winner and fourth, You Got To Me and Treasure.

The latter carries the royal silks of the King and Queen and while Beckett was initially leaning towards saving the daughter of Mastercraftsman for the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, he has ultimately decided to allow her to join her three stablemates on the Surrey Downs.

Trainer Ralph Beckett at York
Trainer Ralph Beckett at York (Mike Egerton/PA)

“We’ve done quite well in the race before, but it’s a long time since I won it last with Talent, and since then nobody but Aidan O’Brien and the Gosdens has won,” he said.

“We’ve had plenty of tries since, but this feels like our best chance. I think the market has them about right in terms of preference, although it got it wrong in 2013 (shorter priced stablemate Secret Gesture finished second).

“I may have had three runners in a race a few times, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never had four before. Let’s hope one of them is competitive!”

Aidan O’Brien, who already has 10 Oaks wins on his CV and has struck gold six times in the last decade, is this year doubly represented, with Ylang Ylang and Rubies Are Red both prominent in the betting.

Ante-post favourite Ylang Ylang steps up in trip after being beaten just a length into fifth place over a mile in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, while Rubies Are Red made late headway to finish a half-length second to You Got To Me at Lingfield three weeks ago.

Ezeliya is another leading contender from Ireland, having won two of her three starts to date for Dermot Weld.

The master of Rosewell House is an infrequent visitor to Epsom, but he won the Oaks with Blue Wind in 1981 and a Derby with Harzand 35 years later.

He said: “I’ve had 24 winners of English and Irish Classics, but Blue Wind was the first and so that was a very special day for me. She was a very good filly who went on to win the Irish Oaks and ended the season the champion filly of Europe.

“I’ve only had a few runners at Epsom, but it’s been lucky for me. I also won the Derby with Harzand and we were second in the Oaks with Tarfasha.”

Dance Sequence (Charlie Appleby), Making Dreams (Karl Burke), Musidora winner Secret Satire (Andrew Balding) and War Chimes (David Menuisier) complete the line-up.

Emily Upjohn winning last year's Coronation Cup under Frankie Dettori
Emily Upjohn winning last year’s Coronation Cup under Frankie Dettori (Mike Egerton/PA)

A smaller field of five runners remain in contention for the other Group One on Friday’s card – the Holland Cooper Coronation Cup.

The hot favourite is last year’s winner Emily Upjohn, trained by John and Thady Gosden, while O’Brien saddles three-time Group One winner Luxembourg.

Pascal Bary sends Feed The Flame from France and Juddmonte have supplemented Harry Charlton’s high-class filly Time Lock, who is fitted with cheek pieces for the first time.

The quintet is completed by the William Haggas-trained Hamish, who was has won 11 of 19 career starts including eight Group Threes, but his participation will be ground dependent as he does need an ease underfoot.

Emily Upjohn dominates with tremendous Coronation Cup success

Emily Upjohn cruised to victory under Frankie Dettori in the Dahlbury Coronation Cup.

Agonisingly beaten a short head in the Oaks on her last visit to Epsom 12 months ago – when her cause was compromised by a stumble on leaving the stalls – this time the filly was peerless as she left a quality field behind her.

An 11-4 chance for John and Thady Gosden, the daughter of Sea The Stars was biding her time in the early stages and only threw down a challenge in the home straight.

She then displayed a fantastic turn of foot to sweep past her rivals, and while Westover closed towards home Emily Upjohn had a comfortable length and three-quarters in hand at the line.

Gosden senior said: “She did it beautifully. We had planned Dubai (Sheema Classic), but she didn’t come to herself in the spring, so we waited. She’s only just come ready to run, actually, only just now.

“She probably hit the front too soon and she’s having a really good blow so she should come on for that.

“She ended up in front because of the way she quickened, she’s a hugely talented filly.

“The Oaks went wrong last year, but that’s history. She showed that speed early last year and then again in the autumn on soft ground, this is quickening all the time, it’s genuine good to firm and she’s shown a lot of talent over a mile and a half.

“It’s nice to bring her back here and win, and Westover had a rough trip here last year in the Derby but take nothing from either winner of the Oaks or the Derby, they were very good.

“She’s in the Hardwicke at Ascot or you could have a look at a race like the Eclipse. It’s one or the other and we’ll have a think.

“She’d have no trouble coming back to 10 furlongs at Sandown, so I slightly favour the Eclipse at this stage, 10 furlongs, uphill finish.”

Coral make Emily Upjohn 5-1 from 8s for the Eclipse, and 7-1 from 10-1 for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Frankie Dettori returns aboard Emily Upjohn
Frankie Dettori returns aboard Emily Upjohn (Mike Egerton/PA)

Dettori said: “She’s a big girl so I got her ready at the top of the hill and gosh did she quicken, wow.

“The change of pace she showed and she kept going right to the line. Myself and Rob (Hornby, on Westover) pulled a long way clear of the third.

“She feels better this year, she feels stronger, but more importantly she’s better in her mind. She was fighting stuff last year, but she’s ready to relax a bit this year.

“She’s better in the mornings now but we just let her be, if she wants to have a look she can have a look!”

Emily Upjohn was an impressive victor
Emily Upjohn was an impressive victor (Tim Goode/PA)

He added: “I must say when I was in the stalls I was thinking ‘please don’t slip today’ after what happened in the Oaks and then everything went wrong in the King George, she didn’t breathe.

“We kept the hood on her today after a long discussion and she relaxed beautifully.”

Westover’s trainer Ralph Beckett felt his charge had just been beaten by a better horse on the day

He said: “I thought it was a really good effort.

“He’s been beaten by a filly who has come here at the top of her game. She’s a very, very good mare, and well done them. He just didn’t have the pace that she did, but it was a good effort.

“We’ll think about where we go next. He gets every yard of that trip and we might think about going a bit further. There are lots of things we can do.”

Aidan O’Brien was content with Point Lonsdale’s effort in coming home third, beaten a total of nine and a quarter lengths.

The trainer said: “We are very happy with the run, though he might have preferred someone to carry him a bit longer up the straight.

“He’s inexperienced and we’re still learning about him. There are plenty of options, including the Hardwicke and the King George.”

Tunnes tuned up for Coronation Cup challenge

Peter Schiergen’s Tunnes will fly the flag for Germany in Dahlbury Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday.

The four-year-old has an eye-catching pedigree as he is out Tijuana, the dam of 2021 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso.

Tunnes was a juvenile winner and then had a successful three-year-old season as he claimed the German St Leger and the Grosser Preis von Bayern in fairly quick succession as autumn approached.

He then jetted to Tokyo to take on the Japan Cup, a Grade One race in which he finished ninth of 18 to wrap up his season.

This year he kicked off his campaign in the Carl Jaspers Preis, a Group Two held at Cologne, and came home second over the same one-mile-four-furlong trip he will encounter at Epsom on the first day of the Derby meeting.

“He is good, he will run on Friday,” said Schiergen.

“He had a break and after the break he started and was second, he was good, he’s improved and I’m happy in the mornings.

“It was good enough for the first time, he wasn’t 100 per cent, he has improved and should be right now for Epsom.”

Should his Coronation Cup bid go to plan, there may be a return to British turf on the agenda for Tunnes, with the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot pencilled in for later in the season.

Schiergen said: “If he runs well,
we might plan to run him in the King George.”

Emily UpJohn and Frankie Dettori
Emily UpJohn and Frankie Dettori (John Walton/PA)

Emily Upjohn makes her seasonal bow in the race and joint-trainer John Gosden feels the race should put the filly spot on for her targets later in the summer as last year’s Oaks runner-up returns to Epsom.

“She’s been fine but like a lot of the fillies, after that false glimpse of spring in February, we then had it cold and wet and she went back into herself,” he told Nick Luck’s Daily podcast.

“She’s taken a long time to come ready but hopefully she’s ready now to run a nice race in the Coronation.

“The race will bring her on. For the older horses, the races are June onwards. We had a think about going to Dubai but chose not to which was the correct and wise decision given who won it (Equinox).

“It looks like a small, select, elite field and she’s a filly taking on the colts, but we want to get her back going and I think you’ll see a big improvement going into June and July.

Trainer John Gosden
Trainer John Gosden (Mike Egerton/PA)

“She showed brilliance early on last year then it all went wrong in the King George when a few of them, like Westover, over-raced.

“She then had a long time off to come back on Champions Day, when she won with great authority. Right now she’s on the way to getting back up to that level, but I think the race will be key to bringing her on.”

Tunnes tuned up for Coronation Cup challenge

Peter Schiergen’s Tunnes will fly the flag for Germany in Dahlbury Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday.

The four-year-old has an eye-catching pedigree as he is out Tijuana, the dam of 2021 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso.

Tunnes was a juvenile winner and then had a successful three-year-old season as he claimed the German St Leger and the Grosser Preis von Bayern in fairly quick succession as autumn approached.

He then jetted to Tokyo to take on the Japan Cup, a Grade One race in which he finished ninth of 18 to wrap up his season.

This year he kicked off his campaign in the Carl Jaspers Preis, a Group Two held at Cologne, and came home second over the same one-mile-four-furlong trip he will encounter at Epsom on the first day of the Derby meeting.

“He is good, he will run on Friday,” said Schiergen.

“He had a break and after the break he started and was second, he was good, he’s improved and I’m happy in the mornings.

“It was good enough for the first time, he wasn’t 100 per cent, he has improved and should be right now for Epsom.”

Should his Coronation Cup bid go to plan, there may be a return to British turf on the agenda for Tunnes, with the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot pencilled in for later in the season.

Schiergen said: “If he runs well, we might plan to run him in the King George.”

Emily UpJohn and Frankie Dettori
Emily UpJohn and Frankie Dettori (John Walton/PA)

Emily Upjohn makes her seasonal bow in the race and joint-trainer John Gosden feels the race should put the filly spot on for her targets later in the summer as last year’s Oaks runner-up returns to Epsom.

“She’s been fine but like a lot of the fillies, after that false glimpse of spring in February, we then had it cold and wet and she went back into herself,” he told Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast.

“She’s taken a long time to come ready but hopefully she’s ready now to run a nice race in the Coronation.

“The race will bring her on. For the older horses, the races are June onwards. We had a think about going to Dubai but chose not to which was the correct and wise decision given who won it (Equinox).

“It looks like a small, select, elite field and she’s a filly taking on the colts, but we want to get her back going and I think you’ll see a big improvement going into June and July.

Trainer John Gosden
Trainer John Gosden (Mike Egerton/PA)

“She showed brilliance early on last year then it all went wrong in the King George when a few of them, like Westover, over-raced.

“She then had a long time off to come back on Champions Day, when she won with great authority. Right now she’s on the way to getting back up to that level, but I think the race will be key to bringing her on.”

Tunnes tuned up for Coronation Cup challenge

Peter Schiergen’s Tunnes will fly the flag for Germany in Dahlbury Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday.

The four-year-old has an eye-catching pedigree as he is out Tijuana, the dam of 2021 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso.

Tunnes was a juvenile winner and then had a successful three-year-old season as he claimed the German St Leger and the Grosser Preis von Bayern in fairly quick succession as autumn approached.

He then jetted to Tokyo to take on the Japan Cup, a Grade One race in which he finished ninth of 18 to wrap up his season.

This year he kicked off his campaign in the Carl Jaspers Preis, a Group Two held at Cologne, and came home second over the same one-mile-four-furlong trip he will encounter at Epsom on the first day of the Derby meeting.

“He is good, he will run on Friday,” said Schiergen.

“He had a break and after the break he started and was second, he was good, he’s improved and I’m happy in the mornings.

“It was good enough for the first time, he wasn’t 100 per cent, he has improved and should be right now for Epsom.”

Should his Coronation Cup bid go to plan, there may be a return to British turf on the agenda for Tunnes, with the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot pencilled in for later in the season.

Schiergen said: “If he runs well,
we might plan to run him in the King George.”

Emily UpJohn and Frankie Dettori
Emily UpJohn and Frankie Dettori (John Walton/PA)

Emily Upjohn makes her seasonal bow in the race and joint-trainer John Gosden feels the race should put the filly spot on for her targets later in the summer as last year’s Oaks runner-up returns to Epsom.

“She’s been fine but like a lot of the fillies, after that false glimpse of spring in February, we then had it cold and wet and she went back into herself,” he told Nick Luck’s Daily podcast.

“She’s taken a long time to come ready but hopefully she’s ready now to run a nice race in the Coronation.

“The race will bring her on. For the older horses, the races are June onwards. We had a think about going to Dubai but chose not to which was the correct and wise decision given who won it (Equinox).

“It looks like a small, select, elite field and she’s a filly taking on the colts, but we want to get her back going and I think you’ll see a big improvement going into June and July.

Trainer John Gosden
Trainer John Gosden (Mike Egerton/PA)

“She showed brilliance early on last year then it all went wrong in the King George when a few of them, like Westover, over-raced.

“She then had a long time off to come back on Champions Day, when she won with great authority. Right now she’s on the way to getting back up to that level, but I think the race will be key to bringing her on.”

Emily Upjohn heads Coronation Cup contenders

Emily Upjohn tops a possible nine contenders for Friday’s Dahlbury Coronation Cup at Epsom.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained filly returns to the scene of her narrow defeat in last year’s Oaks, when she was edged out by a short head in a thrilling finish with Tuesday.

She gained Group One consolation on her final outing of the year in the Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot last October and she is at the head of the betting with most firms to make a triumphant return on the opening day of the Derby meeting.

Westover posted an excellent effort in Dubai on his return
Westover posted an excellent effort in Dubai on his return (Niall Carson/PA)

The Ralph Beckett-trained Westover is also at the top of the market, having finished an unlucky third in the Derby last June before going on to land the Irish version at the Curragh.

He already has a run under his belt this season having chased home Japanese star Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night back in March.

Godolphin pin their hopes on Hurricane Lane, the 2021 St Leger hero who roared back to form for trainer Charlie Appleby with a six-length victory in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket last time out.

Point Lonsdale was a Chester winner earlier in the month
Point Lonsdale was a Chester winner earlier in the month (David Davies/PA)

Aidan O’Brien has three to choose from in Chester scorer Point Lonsdale, last year’s Derby fifth Changingoftheguard and Broome, winner of the Dubai Gold Cup and third in the Yorkshire Cup earlier this month.

The Peter Schiergen-trained Tunnes is a fascinating contender having hacked up in a German Group One by 10 lengths at the backend of last year before an unsuccessful Japan Cup challenge.

Tunnes, a half-brother to Arc victor Torquator Tasso, suffered a surprise defeat on his seasonal bow, though.

Likely outsiders Royal Champion, who represents Roger Varian, and the David Menuisier-trained Caius Chorister complete the list of confirmations.

Emily Upjohn in the mix for Coronation Cup return

Emily Upjohn could make her seasonal reappearance in the Coronation Cup on Friday week.

The daughter of Sea The Stars won three of her first four starts for John and Thady Gosden, including the Musidora Stakes at York, before being beaten a short head by Tuesday in the Oaks.

She subsequently failed to fire in the King George at Ascot, but bounced back to form to secure Group One honours on Champions Day in October – and having missed out on a potential trip to Dubai earlier in the year, she looks set to make her first start since those heroics on the Surrey Downs.

Speaking after putting his Derby and Oaks hopefuls Arrest and Running Lion through their paces at Epsom on Monday morning, John Gosden said: “We’ll leave Emily Upjohn in the Coronation Cup and she worked nicely over the weekend. Obviously she was just a short head shy in the Oaks last year, she’s in good form and we’ll definitely leave her in that race.

“We had a look at Dubai and it was too soon for her. We had this February and it was sort of spring like, it fooled all of us and the fillies and then along came a cold and wet March and April and a lot of the fillies just went back into themselves.

“A lot of the colts did similar and then we’ve had a lot of testing and heavy ground, so I think it’s been a bit of a muddling first part of the season with a combination of the two. To that extent she was very much taking her time, but she seems to be coming to herself now.

“I think it will be a good race, it looks like Westover will be there so it will be a really solid race. The Japanese aren’t bringing that world champion (Equinox) as the track is a little complicated for him I’d say, but he put up some performance in Dubai.”