Amelia Earhart wins Cheshire Oaks

Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks

Fillies' Listed, Chester 14:35
£120,000 guaranteed,
3yo only,
1m 3f 75y, Class 1

Wednesday 6th May 2026

1 Amelia Earhart 13/8
2 I'm The One 6/5F
3 A La Prochaine 12/1
5 ran Distances: 2l, 1¼l, 2¼l
Time: 2m 26.31s (slow by 3.31s)

A stumble from I'm The One at the start in the Cheshire Oaks, but all class from Amelia Earhart - the new Oaks favourite for Epsom... 👀 pic.twitter.com/WGzA2snGGn
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 6, 2026

Amelia Earhart enhanced her Classic credentials with a polished display, providing Aidan O’Brien with a 10th victory in the recognised Epsom trial.

Much of the pre-race attention centred on I’m The One, who had created a striking impression when making a winning debut at Newbury and was sent off the 6/5 favourite to strengthen her claims for the Oaks itself – a race the Gosden team famously captured with Enable nine years earlier.

However, the market leader never looked entirely comfortable around Chester’s tight contours after stumbling slightly leaving the stalls, while Amelia Earhart travelled with considerably greater fluency throughout under Ryan Moore.

Fitted with the unusual combination of a hood and blinkers, the 13/8 chance moved stylishly into contention before asserting in the straight. Although I’m The One remained in touch despite hanging right around the bend, Amelia Earhart found powerfully for pressure and stretched clear to score by two lengths.

Moore said: “We always thought she was a good filly and she’s by Camelot and from a family we know well.

“A mile and a half suited her, she handled the track and handled the ground and did everything right and gave me the perfect feel the whole way. It was the perfect Epsom trial.”

In the immediate aftermath, Boylesports installed Amelia Earhart as their 3/1 favourite for the Oaks, with I’m The One eased to 6/1 from 3/1.

Paul Smith of Coolmore said: “She was always a lovely juvenile and the chance was she was always going to improve for the step up in trip with the pedigree on the page.

“Ryan was delighted with her, she’s hit the line strong, has a beautiful action, great temperament and you couldn’t be happier with her. Ryan said she was very straightforward and honest, we’re really pleased.

“It’s a huge learning curve coming here and one run at Chester is probably worth two somewhere else. It’s great for that.

“She’ll probably go to the Oaks on the back of that. It was always in her pedigree and she’s a beautiful specimen.”

John Gosden, co-trainer of I’m The One alongside his son Thady, was philosophical in defeat and felt the experience would prove valuable.

He said: “It was sort of the result I expected really, I flew up with Ryan and he told me the winner is a very good filly.

“Ryan sat on the inside and it opened up for her and our filly just showed a lack of experience on just the second run of her life. She blew the bend, but to that extent she has run a lovely race and we are pleased with her.

“I did warn everyone that all the hype (after Newbury) was stupid, but no one wanted to listen – or maybe they did as she went to odds-against in the end.

“You come to Chester to learn and you learn if you can go to Epsom and you learn about bends, and she certainly learned about that last one – William (Buick) couldn’t get inside and went outside and she went out to the middle of the track and will have learned a lot from it.

“You can’t take anything away from the winner and he had a very smooth run through and has the experience, but for a second run of her life I think it was a very solid effort from our filly.”

He added: “We will get her home now and see which way we want to play it. We know from this a mile and a half is no problem and she could handle Epsom but there is also the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot.

“There is no need to make that decision just yet, she’s in one and the other race hasn’t even closed yet, so we have time.”