Tag Archive for: You Got To Me

Joorabchian considering plans for big-money buy You Got To Me

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Kia Joorabchian has pledged to send Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me back to Ralph Beckett – if Amo Racing’s 4.8million guineas acquisition stays in training.

The daughter of Nathaniel followed up her Curragh Classic success with second place in the Yorkshire Oaks before being below par in the St Leger.

Co-owners Valmont and Newsells Park Stud opted to cash in at the end of that three-year-old campaign and big-spending Joorabchian swooped with what was the third highest price ever realised at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

You Got To at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale
You Got To Me at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale (Tattersalls)

The Amo Racing chief said: “Obviously Ralph Beckett wants her back, and I said as long as he does not injure her, he can have her back!

“I am thinking about plans. If she stays in training, she is not a horse to take away from her current trainer, and Ralph has done a wonderful job with her.”

Joorabchian has been very active in both the yearling and mares’ markets of late, as he tries to take his Amo operation to the next level.

He added: “We are trying to do the right thing. We have to compete, and we have been trying to compete for many years and have probably burnt so much cash by trying to do it, by trying to pick the next one – why try to pick the next one when you have the one here?

“We were getting to a point that we were thinking she was overpriced but she could be very cheap in the long run. At least we know she is proven, she won the Irish Oaks amazingly.”

Believing at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale
Believing at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale (Tattersalls)

Leading sprinter Believing is set to remain with George Boughey after being bought by MV Magnier for 3million guineas.

The four-year-old landed the Group Two Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh in July and will go in search of a first top-tier victory after being placed several times at that level, most recently when third in the Prix de l’Abbaye.

Boughey said: “We have had a few horses lately for Coolmore connections and we are delighted to have a filly to race at a high level for such a great operation. She will be back with us in her own stable, she will have a break now and then we will sit down and make a plan.”

December date at the sales awaits Irish Oaks winner You Got To Me

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Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me will headline the Sceptre Sessions when Tattersalls hosts its December Mares Sale early next month.

The Nathaniel three-year-old took the Lingfield Oaks Trial on her May reappearance and went on to finish fourth in the Oaks itself before occupying the same spot in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.

She then travelled over to the Curragh to land the Irish Oaks ahead of Aidan O’Brien’s Content, after which that form was reversed by the exact same three-quarter-length margin in the Yorkshire Oaks on the Knavesmire.

Her final outing of the term was in the St Leger, where she came home last of the seven runners, and the sales ring will be her next destination as the ownership band of Valmont and Newsells Park Bloodstock is dissolved in this instance.

“She’s going to the December sales, one of the principal partners in the ownership felt it was the right time to dissolve the partnership,” said Alex Elliott, racing adviser to Valmont.

“The partnership was always going to be dissolved eventually, but she’s still got a year of racing so now is the right time to do so to maximise her value.

“She’s fit and well, she’s been at Newsells on a break and she’ll go to the Tattersalls December sales as the only Group One-winning racemare in the catalogue.”

You Got To Me done for this year, but will return next term

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Connections of You Got To Me are looking forward to next season after confirming the Irish Oaks heroine has been put away for the winter following her disappointing run in the St Leger.

Having finished fourth in the Oaks at Epsom and the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, Ralph Beckett’s filly enjoyed her day in the sun when claiming Classic glory at the Curragh in July before finishing a close second to Content in the Yorkshire Oaks the following month.

After being supplemented for the season’s final Classic on Town Moor, the daughter of Nathaniel failed to fire, trailing home last of seven runners – but she is set to return as a four-year-old.

Reflecting on her Doncaster performance, Alex Elliott, racing adviser to part-owners Valmont, said: “I think the main thing for this filly all year has been the pace of the race and they didn’t go quick enough.

“She didn’t really drop the bridle until they turned into the straight and over that trip you just can’t expend any energy, especially at that level.

“She’s been to a lot of dances this year and she’s now finished for the season. She’s back at Newsells Park Stud and will have a good break and we’ll look forward to next year with her.

“If she came right in time, you could probably look at Dubai and then it will be all the good mile-and-a-half races moving forward.”

Another Beckett-trained filly for whom the Valmont team have high hopes is Sandtrap, who justified odds-on favouritism in some style on her racecourse debut at Salisbury earlier this month.

While the daughter of Lope De Vega does not hold any big-race entries at this stage, Elliott would not be against seeing her step up in class before the season is over.

He added: “She has done everything kind of on her own and Ralph has brought her along slow. She’s a May 15 foal and is bred to be a three-year-old really, so for her to go and do that on debut at two was everything we hoped for and more.

“She’s come out of it very well and it’s just a question of whether Ralph runs her again this season or not. I’m not really sure, but the signs are good coming out of the race.

“I suppose all options are open and we’ll let Ralph tell us when he wants to run her and where he wants to run her. If that means going into a stakes race, then so be it – she looked of that ilk when she won, so I don’t think we’d have anything to be afraid of.

“From what she’s shown and the way she’s bred, you’ve got to think she’s got a chance of making up into a high-class filly.”

Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me supplemented for St Leger

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Ralph Beckett said the prospect of a good-ground Betfred St Leger helped him decide to supplement Irish Oaks winner You Got To Me for the final Classic of the season at Doncaster.

Beckett is not shy of running fillies against the colts in the Town Moor showpiece, winning it with Simple Verse, finishing second with Talent and third with Look Here.

Owners Valmont and Newsells Park Stud paid the £50,000 to add her name to the list of remaining entries, taking it to 10 at Monday’s confirmation stage.

“I don’t think stamina will be an issue,” said Beckett. “She seems in good shape. We’re conscious that her best form is on good ground or faster and it looks like being that at the weekend if the forecast is correct.

“It felt like a good fit for her.

“We’ve been first, second and third with fillies in the Leger. I wouldn’t say we’ve always got it right, but it is certainly not a race that holds any fears, for sure.”

Aidan O’Brien is responsible for five of the remaining entries.

He has won the world’s oldest Classic seven times already, but still has some way to go to match the record of 16 victories of John Scott, set between 1827 and 1862.

The first three in the ante-post betting are all trained at Ballydoyle.

Jan Brueghel beat Bellum Justum at Goodwood
Jan Brueghel beat Bellum Justum at Goodwood (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Great Voltigeur runner-up and Royal Ascot winner Illinois heads the team and is set to be the mount of O’Brien’s number two jockey Wayne Lordan, with Ryan Moore choosing to go to Leopardstown to ride Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champion Stakes.

Another huge player is the unbeaten Jan Brueghel, the winner of all three of his races to date, including the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, form which was subsequently franked by the runner-up Bellum Justum, who won the Nashville Derby on his next outing.

The third big Ballydoyle chance is Grosvenor Square, an incredibly easy winner of the Irish St Leger Trial last time out. Bounced out into an early lead, he went further and further clear, scoring by 20 lengths.

Irish Derby and Great Voltigeur winner Los Angeles has been left in by O’Brien but is being aimed at the Irish Champion Stakes.

Euphoric could also represent the dominant stable.

Sunway (noseband) was narrowly beaten by Los Angeles in the Irish Derby
Sunway (noseband) was narrowly beaten by Los Angeles in the Irish Derby (Damien Eagers/PA)

David Menuisier’s Sunway went close behind Los Angeles in the Irish Derby and the in-form trainer is looking forward to seeing him run in another Classic, having finished fourth in the King George in the interim.

“He is all on track, we are very pleased with him and we have confirmed him this morning,” said Menuisier.

“Everything has gone as we would have liked and we are really looking forward to running him on Saturday.”

Deira Mile is another with a live chance for Owen Burrows.

Fourth in the Derby behind City Of Troy, he was narrowly beaten in a Listed race on his return to action from a mid-season break over an inadequate trip.

Andrew Balding’s Wild Waves has also been left in by connections, as has Charlie Johnston’s Align The Stars, but there was no sign of the Bahrain Trophy winner Ancient Wisdom.

An update on Godolphin’s X account read: “Ancient Wisdom will not be confirmed for the @DoncasterRaces St Leger Stakes at today’s five-day stage. The horse is in good form, but will instead be aimed at an autumn campaign with his favoured ground conditions.”

Top-level assignments on the radar for Matauri Bay

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Matauri Bay is likely to test his powers at Group One level before the season is out after pushing Field Of Gold close in the Solario Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.

A comfortable winner on his racecourse debut at Leicester, the Lope De Vega colt – who is a brother to Breeders’ Cup winner Aunt Pearl -stepped into Group Three company at the weekend and was clear best of the rest behind John and Thady Gosden’s hot favourite.

The winner appears bound for the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc weekend and while connections of the Ralph Beckett-trained Matauri Bay will consider a rematch in Paris, he also has big-race options on home soil.

Alex Elliott, racing adviser to part-owners Valmont, said: “He ran a very good race. We were a little bit compromised by the draw in the end as we had to sit on the rail, one behind Oisin (Murphy, riding third-placed Royal Playwright) and it’s always very hard to get out from there. We knew that, but we had to kind of ride him that way.

“He ran a bit green when we needed him to kick into gear, but once he got out he motored home. I read that he ran the last two furlongs quicker than the winner and I think Hector (Crouch) was very pleased with everything bar finishing second really.

“We got rated 108 this morning, so it opens a few options moving forward. You’ve got the Futurity Trophy, the Lagardere or the Dewhurst and we’ll probably try to shoot at one of those, I suppose.

“I wouldn’t be frightened of taking him on again, especially on soft ground, which we think will suit us. It’s nice to have what is looking like a top two-year-old.”

You Got To Me and Hector Crouch after winning the Irish Oaks
You Got To Me and Hector Crouch after winning the Irish Oaks (Niall Carson/PA)

Another Beckett inmate who has carried the Valmont colours with distinction this season is You Got To Me, who claimed Classic glory in the Irish Oaks in July before the runner-up Content reversed the form in last month’s Yorkshire Oaks on the Knavesmire.

Connections have yet to make any concrete plans, but the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot appears her most likely destination at this stage.

“She’s come out of the race at York OK, but we’re just playing it by ear really,” Elliott added.

“I’d say the fillies’ and mares’ race on Champions Day is the favourite at the minute.”

Beckett sets British Champions Day target for You Got To Me

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Ralph Beckett has placed a target on Qipco British Champions Day after seeing the tables turned on his Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me in the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks.

The Valmont and Newsells Park Stud-owned filly gave her connections a day to remember when getting the better of Content to scoop Classic honours at the Curragh, but had to give way this time around as Aidan O’Brien’s daughter of Galileo defied keenness to finish strongest on the Knavesmire.

Having been campaigned at a high level since claiming the Lingfield Oaks Trial earlier in the season, You Got To Me has been seen to better effect since racing more professionally the last twice.

She could now attempt to go one better than stablemate Bluestocking, who was narrowly denied at Ascot on Champions Day in the fillies’ end-of-season showpiece 12 months ago.

Beckett said: “I think she was beaten by the better filly. I’ll have to watch the race again but it looked to me like the winner was on the other side, there’s an element of that but I wouldn’t make too many excuses.

“The Irish Oaks form has been upheld and that is racing. I don’t know what we’ll do next. She’s run well again and I suppose we’d have to look at the Fillies & Mares at Ascot on Champions Day.

“Whether we run somewhere else again first we’ll have to see, but she was far more settled today which was a positive.”

Meanwhile, John Gosden was delighted to see Emily Uphjohn – who he trains alongside son Thady – return to her best having disappointed in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

Emily Upjohn returned to something near her best in the Yorkshire Oaks
Emily Upjohn returned to something near her best in the Yorkshire Oaks (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)

He said: “I said after Goodwood I’d like to take the hood off her, which we did, and let her enjoy herself.

“She ran a lovely race, obviously we had the pacemaker besides us and they’ve gone a solid pace all the way and I think you do learn in life that giving 9lb to improving three-year-olds at this time of year is very difficult so it’s notable that the Irish Oaks winner and second are first and second again.

“He (Kieran Shoemark, jockey) got left alone in front too soon. The pacemaker did a good job for Ryan (Moore), but it did mean we were left on our own in front a long way out. The last furlong to home was quite a long way, but never forget the weight difference.

“Enable won it at three and came back to win it as an older horse, she was able to give the 9lb.

“I don’t think the position on the track made a whole lot of difference in the end, the second came from the same place as us so to that extent we’ve no complaints.”

Having shown she is still capable of mixing it with the best fillies and mares around, Gosden believes there is still plenty of time for Emily Upjohn to return to the winner’s enclosure this season and is eyeing a trip to ParisLongchamp next month for the Prix Vermaille.

He continued: “She’s run a valiant race, I’m very happy with her and she’s coming back to her very best. We’ll probably look at something like the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp in the middle of September. It’s nice to se her show her true form again.

“We’ll take it one step at a time, the fillies’ Group One races are at the back end of the year. It’s taken her a long time to come back, but she’s proven she is.”

On Emily Upjohn’s stablemate Queen Of The Pride, Gosden added: “It all happened a bit quick for Queen Of The Pride and we’ll step her up in trip for the Park Hill at Doncaster. Her mother won the Leger there and I think she’ll appreciate that trip.”

You Got To Me and Content clash again in Yorkshire Oaks

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An Irish Oaks rematch will take place at York on Thursday after both You Got To Me and Content were declared for the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks.

Ralph Beckett’s filly registered her first top-level success when scooping Classic honours at the Curragh, withstanding the late challenge of Aidan O’Brien’s Content, who was supplemented for this 12-furlong contest after being beaten less than a length.

They look the main protagonists from the Classic generation with Ribblesdale one-two, O’Brien’s Port Fairy and David O’Meara’s Lava Stream, also representing the three-year-old division.

Of the older brigade, John and Thady Gosden rely on both the experienced Emily Upjohhn and the untapped potential of Queen Of The Pride.

The former is an ever-present in Group One competition, while her Qatar Racing-owned stablemate is getting better with every start and now makes her first outing at the highest level.

William Haggas’ Sea Theme won the Galtres Stakes at this meeting last year and has a first Group One spin, with Hughie Morrison’s Aphrodite Fillies’ Stakes scorer Mistral Star completing the eight-strong line-up.

Leovanni (right) on her way to winning the Queen Mary Stakes
Leovanni (right) on her way to winning the Queen Mary Stakes (David Davies/PA)

Royal Ascot heroine Leovanni heads the nine heading to post for the opening Sky Bet Lowther Stakes.

The Queen Mary winner is one of three in the mix for trainer Karl Burke along with Unspoken Love and Naas Listed winner Miss Lamai.

Princess Margaret Stakes second and third, Eve Johnson Houghton’s Betty Clover and Beckett’s Tales Of The Heart, saw the Ascot form given a timely boost by the winner Simmering in France at the weekend, with O’Brien’s Ballyhane Stakes victor Heavens Gate the sole Irish raider.

Bluestocking and You Got To Me stand ground for Yorkshire Oaks

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Ralph Beckett holds a strong hand in the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks after both Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me and Bluestocking featured among the confirmations.

While Bluestocking remains in the mix for Wednesday’s Juddmonte International Stakes at York, You Got To Me is firmly on course for the mile-and-a-half event as she bids to add to her Curragh Classic success.

Beckett indicated a final call on which race Bluestocking runs in will be made over the weekend.

“A decision will be made over the weekend about Bluestocking’s participation, where she goes. Obviously, she is in the Juddmonte International as well. So, we are going to have a discussion this weekend and make a final decision on that,” he said.

The Curragh was the first time You Got To Me – who is jointly-owned by Valmont and Newsells Park Stud – had struck at the highest level, but connections are confident she has now earned her spot at the top table with the Knavesmire Group One an obvious next port of call.

“It’s nice when you can pinpoint a race from way out and train towards it,” said Alex Elliott, Valmont’s racing adviser.

“I think she is pleasing Ralph and the team very much and it looks a very warm contest.

“It will be interesting to see where Ralph and Juddmonte go with Bluestocking, and Aidan O’Brien is going to run Content who we beat in Ireland.

“I think we are going there in hopefully good shape and can hopefully be competitive. I think (a lot will depend) if we can get her to do it properly again and pace is important. We got that in Ireland and it would help us if we could get that again, but it is never guaranteed.

“However, I think the filly is exactly where we want her at this stage.”

Queen Of The Pride (right) winning at Haydock
Queen Of The Pride (right) winning at Haydock (Richard Sellers/PA)

Group One regular Emily Upjohn and the rapidly-improving Queen Of The Pride give John and Thady Gosden two chances in a race the Clarehaven team won five years ago with Enable.

Aidan O’Brien has supplemented Irish Oaks runner-up Content to join Port Fairy as he seeks his fourth race victory in five years.

Another possible Irish raider is Dermot Weld’s progressive Munster Oaks scorer Sumiha, while David O’Meara’s Lava Stream struggled when set a Classic challenge at the Curragh most recently but before that was a narrow second in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.

William Haggas’ Sea Theme won the Galtres Stakes and could return to York having impressed at Listed level in France last month, with Hughie Morrison’s Minstral Star also remaining in the hunt.

Yorkshire Oaks could lead to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for You Got To Me

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Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me is likely to head for the Yorkshire Oaks next month for a run that could determine if connections can begin to dream of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the autumn.

Trained by Ralph Beckett, the Nathaniel filly won the Lingfield Oaks Trial on her seasonal return, which put her in the picture for the Epsom edition of the fillies-only Classic where she ran creditably to finish fourth.

She finished in the same position in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot having raced keenly, but with a tongue-tie applied, she raced much more professionally in her second bite of the Classic cherry, giving her team a day to remember at the Curragh.

With stablemate Bluestocking looking set for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes this weekend, the door is open for You Got To Me to line up at York on August 22, with her entry for Europe’s richest middle-distance contest in Paris on October 6 ready and waiting if she were to thrive on the Knavesmire.

You Got To Me (left) storming to Irish Oaks glory
You Got To Me (left) storming to Irish Oaks glory (Niall Carson/PA)

“I think the logical step is definitely York,” said Alex Elliott, racing adviser to owners Valmont, who jointly own the filly with Newsells Park Stud.

“York seems a very sensible slot and providing she is doing everything right and pleasing Ralph then that is the next target.

“She will be taking on older fillies for the first time and it looks like Emily Upjohn will possibly be going there, but Bluestocking might be running at Ascot this weekend if the ground isn’t too quick.

“She will be having to take on some elders, but I think the track will suit her and as long as there’s some pace in the race and she’s able to relax, which is a key thing for her. She didn’t relax at Lingfield, but her class got her through it and she didn’t relax again in the Ribblesdale.

“I think going to York on a flat track, a mile and a half, and against elders – it is going to tell us exactly where we are at.

“She’s rated 111 now and if that went well then we would probably be looking at the Arc. As a three-year-old filly with all the allowances she would then be a nice fit for the Arc.”

You Got To Me’s Irish Oaks success was a huge moment for Anthony Ramsden of Valmont in the early stages of his ownership journey, enjoying Classic glory for the first time and vindicating a buying policy which has seen this particular 200,000 guineas yearling flourish at three.

“It’s what we’re all in it for and it was a great day from top to bottom,” continued Elliott.

“Anthony Ramsden is Valmont and we buy three-year-old types as yearlings and it takes a lot of patience.

“We only started doing it in 2021 and she was bought in 2022, so it was only the second round of horses we bought and for her to do it so early on is very special.

“It can take a lifetime to win a Classic and a lot of people don’t get to do it, so we’re feeling very blessed to have done it so early.”

It was also a first Classic for jockey Hector Crouch, a major part of both Beckett and Valmont’s operation, and someone who had only ridden at the Curragh for the first time in the preceding Sapphire Stakes.

Juddmonte Irish Oaks Weekend – The Curragh Racecourse – Day One
Jockey Hector Crouch with his Irish Oaks trophy (Niall Carson/PA)

Elliott added: “Hector has been fantastic for us from the get-go.

“Ralph has got a lot of jockeys down there that alternate a lot of the time and can be at different meetings. We wanted consistency so nailed our colours to the mast of Hector and he’s been nothing short of brilliant for us, not only bringing these horses along, but delivering when we need him to.

“It was actually only his second ride at the Curragh, he rode in the race before in the sprint, but it was his first ride on the round track and what a ride he gave her.”

You Got To Me takes Irish Oaks crown

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You Got To Me justified significant market support to surge to Juddmonte Irish Oaks success at the Curragh.

The winner of Lingfield’s Oaks Trial earlier in the season, Ralph Beckett’s daughter of Nathaniel had been backed into 15-2 from double-figure overnight odds and had previously finished fourth to Ezeliya at Epsom before filling the same spot in the Ribblesdale Stakes when racing keenly on the front end.

With a tongue-tie applied and ridden with more restraint, You Got To Me travelled comfortably in mid-division in the hands of regular pilot Hector Crouch, who was enjoying the biggest success of his career.

Moving smoothly into contention, You Got To Me showed both her stamina and class when asked to win her race by Crouch, hitting the front with a furlong to run and showing plenty of resolve as the Aidan O’Brien-trained 3-1 favourite Content came chasing in the closing stages.

You Got To Me held a three-quarter length advantage at the line though, with Content in second and Paddy Twomey’s Purple Lily third.

You Got To Me ridden by Hector Crouch after winning the Juddmonte Irish Oaks
You Got To Me ridden by Hector Crouch after winning the Juddmonte Irish Oaks (Niall Carson/PA)

Beckett admitted the race had not gone entirely as planned, but praised Crouch for swiftly adapting his tactics.

He said: “She was training well in the spring when perhaps we weren’t clicking, and she did it the hard way at Lingfield.

“It didn’t really work out in the Oaks and she went a bit hard in the Ribblesdale, downhill start there over 12 furlongs at Ascot – it can happen there.

“A tongue strap on today probably helped, it just gave her something else to think about.

“Hector said he had to barge through everywhere to get a position and to keep his position. She’s a very brave filly.

“The plan was to be forward and kick on from the top of the hill, but you always have to have a plan B. Hector is not a man that panics and he knew what was going to happen after five strides and rode a race to fit her.”

Hector Crouch with his Irish Oaks trophy
Hector Crouch with his Irish Oaks trophy (Niall Carson/PA)

Crouch was securing the biggest victory of his career and said: “It’s hard to put what that means into words.

“It’s a very, very special day and I’m extremely thankful to Ralph and to Valmont and to Newsells Park Stud for keeping the faith in me and this filly.

“I’m a bit emotional to be honest, it means an awful lot. I’ve always had a tremendous amount of faith in her and when she’s good, she’s very good.

“I can’t believe it, it’s unbelievable.

“I was a touch slow away and I had to take it as it came. She was very tough and very brave when I needed her.”

You Got To Me firing Classic dreams for Valmont

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It can take plenty of patience to unearth a Classic contender, but You Got To Me heads to Epsom giving co-owners Valmont plenty to dream about as their considered investment begins to bear fruit.

Owned in conjunction with Newsells Park Stud, the Ralph Beckett-trained daughter of Nathaniel announced herself as a Betfred Oaks contender when making all in the hands of Hector Crouch in Lingfield’s Oaks Trial last weekend.

Cut to as short as 10-1 for Epsom after being given a masterful ride from Crouch, her owners can now begin to envisage their go-to pilot recreating that Lingfield triumph in another undulating part of Surrey later this month.

“She was a filly we always liked last year, but with her physique and her pedigree, she was always going to make a better three-year-old when she stepped up in trip,” explained Alex Elliott, racing adviser for the owners.

“She did it the hard way and didn’t make it easy for herself in the first part of the race, but hopefully the freshness will have left her now and we can ride a bit more of a race on her at Epsom and we’re looking forward to that.

“Hector rides the majority of ours and knows them well. He didn’t get into a fight with her and knows her well from home and I thought he was very good on her.

“Our programme is we buy more of a three-year-old type so it takes a bit of patience and foresight, but these are the races we want to be tackling and hopefully we’re assembling a nice team of horses to do that.”

You Got To Me (left) winning at Lingfield
You Got To Me (left) winning at Lingfield (Steve Paston/PA)

Although not strangers to the winner’s enclosure, the Valmont team, who have been active players at the major sales over the past few seasons, are finally developing a squad of horses that could make their white, pink and blue silks a regular feature in some of the Flat season’s biggest contests.

Four-year-olds Salt Bay and Ngiri have been standout performers for the owners in recent years and continue to ply their trade at a high level.

But now You Got To Me gives them their first real Classic contender, while the likes of Valvano, Feigning Madness and Moon Over Miami could all have big-race aspirations later in the season.

Valvano impressed on his debut at Nottingham last autumn
Valvano impressed on his debut at Nottingham last autumn (Simon Marper/PA)

Valvano was last seen finishing second to 2000 Guineas hero Notable Speech at Kempton, but his own Classic ambitions had to be put on hold following a setback. He is currently working his way back to race fitness as connections still have high hopes for the well-entered son of Night Of Thunder.

“We got a little bit of a hold up with Valvano which meant we had to miss the Derby trials, so we took him out of the Derby,” explained Elliott.

“We’re just letting the horse tell us when he’s ready. We obviously think he’s an exciting prospect and there is no panic with a horse of his potential. Hopefully he is still in line for a big year.”

You Got To Me makes all for gutsy Oaks Trial success

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You Got To Me put up a front-running display full of class and no little guts to hold all-comers in the William Hill Oaks Trial Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield.

Sharply to the head of affairs and racing with lots of zest in the early exchanges, Ralph Beckett’s charge was a long way clear at one stage under Hector Crouch.

It looked like the cavalry had arrived to collar the leader inside the final two furlongs, with Treasure and Danielle emerging as huge threats.

But they could not put You Got To Me (7-2) away, and in the end it was Ryan Moore on Rubies Are Red who came from the clouds to get within half a length of the victor.

You Got To Me
You Got To Me after winning at Lingfield (PA)

Crouch said: “It wasn’t deliberate to go quite that quick, she’s a horse that likes to get on with things and if you get in an argument with her she’s 10 times worse. You have to let her be her and it worked out nicely.

“I was out of control until the first bend, then she had a look at the hill and backed off for me. She did everything very nicely from the six to the three (furlong marker), then she was very game in the finish.

“She came down the hill beautifully. She’s a very big horse, but she’s beautifully balanced. I’m really pleased.

“She’s always done good work at home, we expected her to win first time and she just a bit weak at the backend last year.”

Beckett has past history regarding this race, as 2008 runner-up Look Here went on to win the Oaks, while 2013 wide-margin winner Secret Gesture subsequently finished second to stablemate Talent at Epsom.

He said of You Got To Me’s performance: “It was a terrific effort from the horse and jockey. It was important not to get in her way, she’s a filly that needs to get into a rhythm and she’s not a filly who likes being ordered around.

“Hector obviously knows her well and rides the track particularly well and it all came together. I was pretty sure we’d handle the track, it was just whether she was good enough.”

As for handling the atmosphere at Epsom, Beckett added: “If you saw her in the prelims, she was very settled, she just knows her own mind and I think Epsom will suit her well. It’s about which horse suits the place best and I think she’ll suit it.”

Paddy Power reported plenty of support for Rubies Are Red given the manner of her finishing effort, going 10-1 having been 16-1 immediately after the race. Coral quoted the winner at 12-1 and are 14-1 about the runner-up.

Of the Aidan O’Brien-trained Rubies Are Red, Coolmore’s UK representative Kevin Buckley said: “Ryan said he couldn’t get her going down the hill, which meant he had extra ground to make up.

“But it was a new experience for her and we would be happy with that.”

You Got To Me was all guts
You Got To Me was all guts (Steve Paston/PA)

In third was 2-1 favourite Danielle, with John Gosden feeling ground conditions were not totally to her liking.

He said: “I was pleased with that, although it got a little lively in the straight. She came down the hill fine, I would say we would be looking for a little juice in the ground going forward.”

Fourth home was the winner’s stablemate, Treasure, who ran a promising race in the colours of the King and Queen on only her second racecourse start.

She was ridden by Rossa Ryan, who would also have liked a bit more ease in the ground but was delighted nonetheless.

He said: “I was very pleased with my filly, time will tell that she’s the one to take out of the race.”

Treasure looks set to sidestep the Oaks, though, with trainer Beckett commenting: “There’s no firm plan, but the Ribblesdale would be likely. She’ll come on plenty for it, but I don’t think we can go to Epsom on the back of it probably – maybe the Ribblesdale, we’ll have a think.”