Betfred Oaks favourite Amelia Earhart comes into the Epsom fillies’ Classic rated 12lbs higher than last year’s winner, fellow Aidan O’Brien–trained filly Minnie Hauk.
Amelia Earhart showed plenty of improvement to win a good renewal of the Cheshire Oaks on her reappearance, running to a higher level at Chester – recording a Timeform mark of 124p – than stablemate Minnie Hauk (112p) managed 12 months earlier.
Quality line-up awaits
Amelia Earhart meets the staying-on third A La Prochaine (115p) and the pace-setting fourth Sugar Island (118) again here.
Close behind her in the ratings for this year’s renewal is Venetian Lace (123) for Charlie Johnston.
She boasts Group 1 form already, finishing placed at long odds in the Fillies’ Mile and 1000 Guineas on her last two starts and showing improved form on her return behind True Love at Newmarket last month.
Normally a front runner, she has stamina to prove over the extra half-mile but is a daughter of Derby winner Masar.
Also prominent in the ratings is the Musidora Stakes winner Legacy Link (122p) for John and Thady Gosden.
Behind Venetian Lace when fourth in the Fillies’ Mile last year, like her other main rivals in the ratings she showed plenty of improvement on her reappearance at York and will be bidding to follow in the footsteps of her stable’s most recent Oaks winner Soul Sister in 2023, who also won the Musidora beforehand.
Bred in the purple – she’s by Dubawi out of a full sister to Frankel – Legacy Link is reopposed by K Sarra (118p), who was staying on in third behind her at York.
Timeform senior analyst Rory King said: “The Cheshire Oaks is rivalling the Musidora these days as the pre-eminent trial for the Oaks, and the winners of both races are major players at Epsom, with Timeform’s slight preference being for Amelia Earhart, who hasn’t looked back since stepped up beyond seven furlongs.
“She’s followed the Minnie Hauk route from last year, winning the same back-end maiden at Leopardstown before taking the Cheshire Oaks en route to Epsom, and she promises to be suited by the even stronger test of stamina that an Oaks on good-to-soft ground will provide.”
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Simon Wilkes 
Michael Davey