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Oaks Bettting: Jazz is hitting the right notes

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Derek Knight looks to have the one to beat...

When Westmead Lord won the Derby earlier in the year he did so without winning a single race en route to the final. The point is it doesn't matter how you qualify to get the final as long as you do, a statement no better illustrated than by my Oaks ante post picks Blonde Jeannie and Westmead Tina who both scraped through by the skin of their teeth in the first round last Tuesday.

Thankfully, Blonde Jeannie was back to winning ways in her second round heat over the weekend and has been rewarded with a good looking trap one draw in Tuesday's semi-finals. While she won from the same box last Saturday, it come against a perceived outside track bias, and I fully expect her to win her semi-final.

The biggest danger will undoubtedly come from defending champion Dilemmas Flight, also a Derby finalist back in the summer, and still improving having been off from August to November. She too has been well treated by the draw in securing trap six, but with six wide runners still left in the competition, there's only a slim chance she'll get the same draw if she qualifies, which I certainly believe she will.

When asked about the first round, I commented that I had been disappointed by Jazz Hurricane's run, who gave away a five length lead before scraping home by a short-head to beat Dangerous Lady, but last year's third was back to her old self in the quarter-finals when accounting for Dilemmas Flight.

Derek Knight's runner is a model of consistency and looks the best bet in either semi-final, despite the presence of Westmead Tina on her immediate inside. I still have my doubts about Broadway Sizzler's ability to keep on producing the performances in a four round competition especially over 480m, although she has so far proved me wrong with a brace of top-class front-running displays.

If she breaks as she did on Saturday in the semi-finals it will be some race with Jazz Hurricane coming at her in the closing stages. If you followed me in by backing Blonde Jeannie at the start, things still look pretty healthy - there's a chance to trade out even now, although I would resist it - but I wouldn't be afraid to include a small saver on Jazz Hurricane, who now appears the biggest threat.

Things panned out well for us at Romford last week with my long range tip Eye Onthe Veto turning the Essex Vase into a procession, while Westmead Aoifa, my ante-post pick for the Romford Gold Cup, despite a reverse in the heats, also coming good when it mattered.

The National Sprint at Nottingham looks wide open and might be best played after the first round has been run, but for those looking for an early interest I'd offer up Unique Option. David Pruhs' charge has won two of his three starts at Colwick Park and made everyone aware of his chance in this event with a wide margin win last week. Lunar Vacation should also keep on qualifying, but I'd resist Jetharts Here, at least until he's proved he can handle this circuit in the first round