Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks
Group 1, York 15:35
£500,000 guaranteed,
3yo plus,
1m 3f 188y, Class 1   
Thursday 22nd August 2024

Boylesports

1 Content 3/1F
2 You Got To Me 9/2
3 Emily Upjohn 7/2
8 ran Distances: ¾l, 1l, 3¾l
Time: 2m 28.75s (fast by 0.05s)

Content avenged her Irish Oaks defeat by You Got To Me by clinching this Group 1 event at York.

As a daughter of Galileo and dual Nunthorpe winner Mecca’s Angel, it was fitting that Aidan O’Brien’s filly achieved this triumph on the Knavesmire, marking the pinnacle of her career so far.

Initially keen under Ryan Moore, Content settled as stablemate Port Fairy set the pace alongside William Haggas’ Sea Theme. As the field entered the straight, attention turned to Emily Upjohn, who surged to the front under Kieran Shoemark. However, You Got To Me and Content, the 3-1 favourite, were close behind, setting up a thrilling three-way contest.

In the final stages, Content and Ralph Beckett’s Classic heroine edged past Emily Upjohn, but it was the Ballydoyle filly who found extra to secure victory, becoming the late Galileo’s 100th individual Group One winner.

This win also marked a record-equalling ninth Yorkshire Oaks for O’Brien, who has dominated four of the last five editions of the mile-and-a-half race.

“She has come forward since the Curragh and every time we have stepped her up in trip she has improved,” said O’Brien.

“We ran her in the fillies’ race on (Irish) Derby weekend, the Pretty Polly, to see if she would get a mile and a quarter and she finished behind two older fillies. Ryan came in and said no doubt she will get a mile and a half and we went to the Irish Oaks and we had a pacemaker that didn’t go fast enough for her and the race never opened up for her.

“Ryan gave her an incredible ride and she’s not straightforward or easy. She has a lot of pace and he did an incredible job to get her relaxed. The pace was stronger today and she kept coming. Ryan was surprised because she was so keen but she kept coming from the three-furlong marker. It was incredible ride and she is a very brave filly who will be better in a faster-run race.

“She could go to one of the fillies’ (Arc) trials, she could go to an Arc or a Vermeille or to America. She’s definitely going to be better where the pace is strong, wherever that is, as she is still racing in a gear too high. When she gets into a gear which has other horses out of their comfort zone, she will be comfortable and it will be amazing to see what she can do off that kind of pace.”

BetZone

Darley Yorkshire Oaks (Fillies' Group 1)
(British Champions Series)
£500,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m 3f 188y, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Good to Firm

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (3)    Content 3 9-0 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 3/1F
2 (5) ¾ You Got To Me 3 9-0 Ralph Beckett Hector Crouch 9/2
3 (2) 1 Emily Upjohn 5 9-9 John & Thady Gosden Kieran Shoemark 7/2
4 (4) 3¾ Mistral Star 4 9-9 Hughie Morrison William Buick 11/1
5 (1) 1¼ Sea Theme 4 9-9 William Haggas Tom Marquand 11/1
6 (7) 1¼ Lava Stream 3 9-0 David O'Meara Daniel Tudhope 33/1
7 (8) 8 Port Fairy 3 9-0 A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan 22/1
8 (6) 9½ Queen Of The Pride 4 9-9 John & Thady Gosden Oisin Murphy 100/30

SureWIn