3 minute read
Aidan O'Brien seeks further Group 1 glory with Content in the Yorkshire Oaks.
Aidan O'Brien will be looking to claim further Group 1 glory when Content bids to reverse Irish Oaks placings with You Got To Me in the Yorkshire Oaks at York on Thursday.
The daughter of Galileo flashed home to finish runner-up on her first outing over a mile and a half in the Irish Oaks, but with that experience under her belt, O'Brien is expecting his filly to relish this test on the Knavesmire.
"We weren't sure that she'd stay because she can be a little bit keen," said O'Brien on Racing TV. "We ran her in the Pretty Polly and Ryan dropped her out and put her to sleep, and only two older fillies' beat her. Ryan was very confident he'd beat them whenever he met them again, even over a mile and a quarter, because we rode her feeling her way rather than riding her definitely to win."
"She ran an unbelievable race. We went to the Curragh and rode her patiently, we put pace on in the race, but the race turned into a mess. It never really opened up and Ryan had to ride her patient, and it all happened too late. When Ryan got the splits, and the race opened up it was over."
"She was running home very hard and very well and Ryan was over the moon with her."
"It was one of those races where it was good to get beat and good to learn about her. Hopefully, in York, we'll get a more even gallop, but we'll ride her patiently again."
Paddy Power make Content their 16/5 favourite, with Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me co-second favourite at 7/2.
The Ralph Beckett-trained filly built on her fourth-place finish in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot to claim the Irish Oaks crown and trainer Ralph Beckett is anticipating another big effort under Hector Crouch.
"She is very well, and we've been very happy with her recent work," Beckett said to Tattersalls. "She did a nice bit on the grass on Saturday just gone, that went as well or better than expected, so we think she might have come forward.
"I think York is set up really well for her as a track, the timescale is good as well. She is a filly who needs to be kept on the go, she's not one that you can be hanging on to for targets later down the line, you have to keep rolling with her.
"I was concerned immediately after the Oaks that I wasn't going to get her to put back on what she'd lost that quickly. As it turned out, I was wrong about that, you've just got to get your timings right.
"She's on good terms with herself, that much is obvious."
Standing in their way will be the John and Thady Gosden-trained pair of Emily Upjohn and Queen Of The Pride. The former, a dual Group 1 winner, will be looking to bounce back from her disappointment in the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, while the latter arrives with a progressive profile having followed up a Group 3 success with a commanding three-length success in the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks.
The Qatar Racing-owned Queen Of The Pride will once again be partnered by Oisin Murphy, who has steered both the sire and the dam to victory in the past.
Paddy Power makes Queen Of The Pride their 5/2 favourite to take the step up to Group 1 company in her stride, while the same firm goes 7/2 about the chances of Emily Upjohn regaining the winning thread at the top level.
