The Oaks: Katie Midwinter's runner-by-runner guide and 1-2-3 tips for the Epsom Classic

• Katie Midwinter provides a runner-by-runner guide to the Oaks at Epsom

• A field of nine remain in the fillies' Classic on Friday

• 1000 Guineas winner Desert Flower is the current Oaks favourite

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Desert Flower

6/42.50 favourite to win the Oaks

Unbeaten Godolphin filly Desert Flower is seeking a sixth straight success and her second Classic of the season as the 1000 Guineas winner steps up in trip over further than a mile for the first time.

As a juvenile, the daughter of Night Of Thunder was exceptional, winning four times from July to October, culminating in a Group One success in the Fillies' Mile. On her return to action this term, she justified favouritism to retain her unblemished record by beating nine rivals, including subsequent Irish 1000 Guineas winner Lake Victoria, to claim Classic honours on the Rowley Mile, further enhancing her reputation and cementing herself as the best filly of her generation on form shown to date. 

This is another test for the chestnut filly, who has shown plenty of speed over a mile. Her dam, multiple Group Two winner Promising Run, attempted this trip on only one occasion, when finishing down the field in the Group One British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes having been sent off at odds of 50/151.00, and her half-brother Aablan won a Group Three over 7f.

Desert Flower is, however, also related to mile-and-a-half winner Arabian Comet, who placed in the Lillie Langtry Stakes over 1m6f, and has appeared to have plenty left in reserve in the latter stages in her races over a mile.

The class of the field and certainly the one to beat, should Desert Flower cope with the extra half-a-mile, she should prove too good for her rivals and claim another Classic triumph for Charlie Appleby.

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Giselle

9/25.50 to win the Oaks

Ballydoyle representative Giselle returned to winning ways with a nine-length Listed victory in the Oaks Trial at Lingfield last month, making light work of her two rivals on her seasonal return. Equipped with a first-time hood that day, she was kept up to her work by Ryan Moore in the closing stages before being eased approaching the line, impressing whilst still showing signs of greenness.

Far from the finished article, Giselle was able to stamp her authority in her latest start which served as the perfect preparation for this Classic assignment, and she should come on plenty for the outing. The step up in trip appeared to suit, too, which bodes well for her chances in this mile-and-a-half contest.

The daughter of Frankel is out of dual Grade One winning miler Newspaperofrecord, a half-sister to Listed winning sprinter Classical Times, both out of Group Three winner Sunday Times, who was once narrowly beaten in the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes. Bred to be good, the exciting prospect was sent off at odds of 8/111.73 on debut but was beaten by 5/16.00 stablemate Bedtime Story, who significantly franked the form by going on to achieve a hugely impressive success in the Chesham Stakes as well as Group Two and Group Three honours.

It didn't take long for Giselle to break her maiden, however, as she duly obliged in her following start at the Curragh, before finishing fourth, placed third, to stablemate Whirl when upped into Group Three company. Ryan Moore kept the faith in the filly that day, and, despite being unable to claim success in the race, his mount was far from disgraced over the mile trip when beaten only a length-and-a-half.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained filly could be set to show the best of her ability over the middle-distance trip based on her latest effort, and any stable confidence would make her one for serious consideration.

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Whirl

9/25.50 to win the Oaks

Bidding to provide her sire Wootton Bassett with yet another Classic winner in a short period of time, Coolmore home-bred Whirl is set to step up to a mile-and-a-half for the first time.

A dual Group Three winner, including over an extended mile-and-a-quarter in the Musiadora Stakes, the Aidan O'Brien-trained contender makes her first appearance at Group One level following a five-and-a-half-length victory at York, where she showed significant improvement on her return to action at the Curragh in April.

Unexposed at this level, Whirl dominated in her previous outing, improving for the step up in distance, and appears ready to take on a challenge of this magnitude.

Last term, she was beaten in two 7f contests by Red Letter and Angelo Buonarroti, respectively, facing tough opposition in her first couple of starts, before going on to break her maiden at Doncaster beating Gulya, who was subsequently narrowly denied by unexposed Godolphin filly Victory Queen, who holds an entry in the Coronation Stakes.

Whirl was then able to land the Staffordstown Stud Stakes, beating a field which included the promising And So To Bed, her stablemate Giselle, subsequent Irish 1000 Guineas third Cercene, as well as recent Listed winner Copacabana Sands.

Out of Salsa, a sister to Group One winners Hydrangea, The United States, Hermosa, and Group Three winner Fire Lily, all out of Group Two winning Pivotal mare Beauty Is Truth, Whirl descends from a classy family that boasts Classic wins and a step up to this trip could be the making of her.

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Minnie Hauk

13/27.50 to win the Oaks

Recent Cheshire Oaks winner Minnie Hauk impressed to land Listed honours on the Roodee, recording successive wins following a maiden victory at Leopardstown on her final start as a juvenile.

The daughter of Frankel had previously finished second to Wemightakedlongway when sent off as the 13/82.63 favourite on debut at Cork, beaten only by a talented subsequent Group Three winner, running on well over the mile that day but unable to land a blow on the eventual winner. She swiftly shed her maiden tag but didn't hugely impress over a mile in soft ground on her penultimate start, prevailing by half-a-length, and was able to take a step forward as she was upped in trip at Chester.

Gutsy all the way to the line when last seen, the Ballydoyle representative didn't appear to require maximum effort when recording her first Stakes win, and, as many of Ballydoyle's runners often can, should improve for her first run of the season.

The best is yet to come from this unexposed filly, who makes only her fourth career start, as her profile would suggest having been purchased for €1,850,000 as a Goffs Orby Book 1 yearling. She's out of a half-sister to the great Kingman, Multilingual, and her half-brother is Group Two winner Tilsit.

One for the shortlist, Minnie Hauk may be overlooked in this field but could run a big race for a genius trainer in Aidan O'Brien.

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Elwateen

7/18.00 to win the Oaks

Dubawi filly Elwateen makes her third career start, her second in a Classic following a fourth-placed finish in the 1000 Guineas when last seen. At Newmarket, the Saeed bin Suroor-trained contender stuck to the task well to achieve her finishing position, despite lacking experience, and should be able to show further progression, supplemented for this contest following that promising effort.

On debut at Kempton, Elwateen beat subsequent dual winner Orchid, digging deep to prevail, flashing plenty of speed. She was able to pass the eventual second on the approach to the line over 7f that day, shaping as though a step up in trip would suit.

The first foal out of Tawkeel, a Group One winner over a mile-and-a-quarter and daughter of Listed winning miler Rafaadah, Elwateen's great grand-dam is Group Two winning miler Joanna, who was once narrowly beaten in the Prix Maurice De Gheest. There's stamina in the pedigree alongside speed, and this trip should prove suitable to the unexposed filly, who has plenty of potential.

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Revoir

8/19.00 to win the Oaks

Study Of Man filly Revoir was narrowly beaten by Qilin Queen in her latest start at Newbury, sticking to the task well over the mile-and-a-half trip when only narrowly denied by the gutsy winner. She had previously impressed in a Nottingham maiden, winning comfortably in heavy ground conditions over an extended mile on debut.

Unexposed coming into the race on only her third career start, entitled to improve for her return to action in Listed company and having shown promise to date, the Ralph Beckett-trained filly is an intriguing contender and one of the less exposed types as she attempts this distance for the first time.

Her half-sister Remarquee, a Group Three winner over 7f, was once a length second to Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes and also finished second to Nashwa in the Falmouth Stakes, whilst their dam Regardez, who finished third in the Musiadora Stakes, claimed Listed honours during her racing career.

Her trainer knows the family well and also saddled relative Scope to Group One victory in the Prix Royal-Oak a few seasons ago as well as Oaks winner Look Here, and it would be a case of déjà vu should Revoir repeat that feat, coming into this Classic with similar formlines to her grand-dam's half-sister, and sporting the same colours.

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Qilin Queen

14/115.00 to win the Oaks

A recent Listed winner over Revoir, Ed Walker-trained Qilin Queen is another in the field stepping up to a mile-and-a-half for the first time, unexposed at the top level but needing to show improvement on her form to date if she is to hold her own in tough company.

The daughter of Pinatubo was purchased for 280,000gns as a yearling and, although beaten by Formal on debut, shed her maiden tag in a valuable novice event at Salisbury, beating well-bred fillies in Participle and Butterfly Wings. She then defied odds of 40/141.00 to finish a two-length second to 250,000gns Tattersalls Book 1 yearling Luther, fourth in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains since, with subsequent Group Three-placed Eternal Elixir in third.

On her reappearance this term, Qilin Queen was comfortably beaten by exciting unbeaten filly Falakeyah in the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes, narrowly denied second-place by Life Is Beautiful when staying on in the finish over the mile-and-a-quarter trip, before battling gamely to prevail in her latest start, which bodes well for her stamina credentials over further.

A half-sister to mile-and-a-half winner Savvy Knight and extended 1m6f winner Monbaher, Qilin Queen is out of Sea The Stars mare Seagull, who was also a winner over this trip and a half-sister to Galileo mare Nightime, an Irish 1000 Guineas winner who went on to produce the magnificent Ghaiyyath.

With class in Qilin Queen's pedigree, and plenty of middle-distance form, there could be more to come from her and there's enough substance to the form to suggest a big run is possible.

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Wemightakedlongway

16/117.00 to win the Oaks

Making her third appearance of this current campaign, Joseph O'Brien-trained Wemightakedlongway achieved Group Three success over a mile-and-a-quarter at Navan when last seen in April. She pulled clear of her rivals from the front to win by two-and-three-quarter-lengths to promising 400,000gns purchase Catalina Delcarpio, six-and-a-half-lengths clear of third-placed Island Hopping.

Racing prominently from the front has proved successful twice for the daughter of Australia previously, and, although it will be tougher to sustain her challenge against the opposition she faces here, she has proven difficult to pass in the straight when able to get into a good rhythm.

Whilst she has suffered three defeats from five outings to date, including when up against leading Derby contender Delacroix on her seasonal return in March, Wemightakedlongway has beaten reopposing rival Minnie Hauk and has shaped as though stamina is her forte. The brave filly has already amassed valuable experience, putting her in a more advantageous position in comparison with some of her rivals, but she remains unexposed at this level and could show further improvement over this extra distance.

Related to Dewhurst Stakes winner Beethoven, as well as being from the family of multiple Group One winner Henrythenavigator, a dual Classic winner, Wemightakedlongway is a potential pace angle in the Oaks and appears certain to stay from the front of the field over this trip.

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Go Go Boots

33/134.00 to win the Oaks

Clarehaven representative Go Go Boots suffered her first defeat when a five-and-three-quarter-length third to Whirl in the Group Three Musidora Stakes when last seen. Prior to that outing, the daughter of Night Of Thunder, who fetched €230,000 as a breeze-up, had recorded two wins from as many starts, shaping with plenty of promise and proving her credentials over a mile-and-a-quarter.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained filly is out of Hertford Dancer, once a winner of the Oaks Trial who went on to finish third in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot before producing mile-and-a-quarter winner Travolta. She's also related to a number of other talented performers including Group One winner Nayarra, multiple Group One-placed Gustav Klimt, and St. James's Palace Stakes third Mars.

Although she has a bit to prove following her previous run, Go Go Boots remains a filly with potential who could show further improvement stepping up to a mile-and-a-half for the first time. She is unexposed at Group One level, representing a yard that is responsible for three of the previous eight winners of the Classic.

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Verdict:

DESERT FLOWER has proven to be in a league of her own among this current crop of fillies, with the form of her 1000 Guineas success already taking a significant boost. Whilst she must prove she is as effective over this extra half-a-mile, there isn't a standout contender from her rivals in the field that has proven Group One form.

Many fillies in the line-up will almost certainly improve with time and Whirl could be the leading contender for Ballydoyle, whilst Wemightakedlongway can put in a bold bid from the front but will likely be outclassed by the talented favourite. The latter, representing Joseph O'Brien, makes each-way appeal at double-figure odds and shouldn't be underestimated, particularly if she gets her own way out in front.

Prediction:

1. Desert Flower

2. Wemightakedlongway

3. Whirl

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