Betfred Oaks |
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| Group 1,
Epsom Downs 16:30 £550,000 guaranteed 3yo fillies only, 1m 4f 6y, Class 1  |
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1 Ezeliya 13/2
2
Dance Sequence 7/1
3
War Chimes 50/1
12 ran Distances: 3l, 1½l, 3¾l
Time: 2m 42.06s (slow by 6.86s)
Happy retirement, Ezeliya 💚
— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) July 6, 2024
The Oaks winning heroine has been retired by the @AgaKhanStuds team due to a training injury.
She was a classy winner of the @EpsomRacecourse fillies Classic pic.twitter.com/VnRuDe61C6
Ezeliya dazzled as she surged home to claim an impressive victory for trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Chris Hayes.
Throughout the race, Ezeliya maintained a strategic position, staying handy in the middle of the 12-horse field. As they turned for home, she began to accelerate, displaying real purpose and determination. With each stride, she gained ground, ultimately seizing the lead and fending off a challenge from Charlie Appleby’s Dance Sequence. Despite Dance Sequence’s best efforts, Ezeliya prevailed by a commanding three lengths.
In a thrilling finish, David Menuisier’s War Chimes secured third place at generous odds of 50-1. However, the hot favorite, Ylang Ylang, failed to deliver, unable to mount a serious challenge.
This victory marks a special moment for trainer Dermot Weld, who last claimed the Oaks title 43 years ago with Blue Wind. For jockey Chris Hayes, it’s a first British Classic success, and he aptly summed up the significance: "Any Classic winner is special, and I’ve been very fortunate."
Ezeliya’s performance has left racing enthusiasts eagerly anticipating her future endeavors. Perhaps an autumn campaign, which could include the prestigious Arc, awaits this remarkable filly. Regardless, her victory at Epsom will be etched in racing history as a truly memorable achievement.
“It’s a very special day. Competition is very keen nowadays and we’re very fortunate to have a filly for His Highness that is as good as this,” said Weld, who was winning the race for the second time, after Blue Wind in 1981.
“She’s a beautifully-mannered animal and a beautiful filly to train. Patience has paid dividend with her; we took our time with her as a two-year-old, and just gave her one run this year when she won nicely at Navan.
“She loves to come from off the pace, this is a progressive filly. She’s very relaxed and got a beautiful ride from Chris Hayes. She was cantering down the hill then he gave her a couple of strides and let her go.
“We will look at the Irish Oaks or wait for an autumn campaign, which may involve the Arc.”
He added: “She’s a good filly, her dam was a very good filly, Frankie Dettori rode her at the Breeders’ Cup and then she ran in Hong Kong where she was third in the Vase.
“I was always pretty sure she’d stay, she’s from a great staying Aga Khan family that goes back to the Gold Cup horses Enzeli and Estimate, so that’s why I was confident about the trip.
“She’s also a very relaxed filly and it was a beautiful ride by Chris, I was pretty confident from a long way out, she was cantering, he got her into a beautiful rhythm which is important before you let them go, and he sat for those couple of strides.
“It’s a few years since I first won the Oaks, but I haven’t had many runners. It’s hard to get fillies like this. Harzand won the Derby here and I rode the winner of the amateur Derby here, and trained it!
“She looks like an Irish Oaks filly, but we’ll see how she is.”
The King and Queen were in attendance, presenting the trophy for the Coronation Cup before watching their filly Treasure run in the Oaks, where she was eased when her chance had gone, beating just one horse home.
Her trained Ralph Beckett said: “Treasure didn’t handle the track, James (Doyle) felt. She was in the right place, but has obviously run below par.”
Betfred Oaks
£550,000 guaranteed,
3yo only, 1m 4f 6y, Class 1
12 ran
Going: Good to Soft
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (5) Ezeliya 3 9-2 D K Weld Chris Hayes 13/2
2 (2) 3 Dance Sequence 3 9-2 Charlie Appleby William Buick 7/1
3 (7) 1½ War Chimes 3 9-2 David Menuisier Tom Marquand 50/1
4 (8) 3¾ You Got To Me 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett Hector Crouch 15/2
5 (1) ¾ Caught U Looking 3 9-2 Noel Meade Colin Keane 16/1
6 (12) ½ Ylang Ylang 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 11/8F
7 (4) 7½ Forest Fairy 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan 10/1
8 (10) ¾ Making Dreams 3 9-2 K R Burke Clifford Lee 40/1
9 (6) 2 Rubies Are Red 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan 12/1
10 (3) 4½ Secret Satire 3 9-2 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 20/1
11 (11) 2½ Treasure 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett James Doyle 22/1
12 (9) 4 Seaward 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett Silvestre De Sousa 40/1
