Ireland look to continue winning record in Epsom Oaks
Four strong Green Team challenge including Aidan O'Brien's talented filly Minnie Hauk
Minnie Hauk underlined her English Oaks credentials with a win in the Cheshire Oaks in May (Racing Post Photos)
She's a lovely, straightforward filly and we think she's come forward loads from Chester. - Aidan O'Brien on English Oaks contender Millie Hauk
Summer is here, so is the rain - and so are the Irish, writes James Toney.
After the sunniest and driest spring on record, heavy showers arrived in the English capital this week, just in time for the Betfred Derby Festival, with the Group One English Oaks Friday's big race.
Irish trainers have dominated the third Classic of the English season in the last decade, winning seven of those races, with Aidan O'Brien claiming six and Dermot Weld landing the prize last year with Ezeliya, a gap of 43 years from his only previous win in 1981.
Charlie Appleby's unbeaten Desert Flower leads the market for the fillies' showpiece but the Master of Ballydoyle has the next three, with the improving Minnie Hauk seemingly his pick.
There are four Green Team contenders in the nine-strong field with Joseph O'Brien liking how Wemightakedlongway is shaping to deliver what would be his second English Classic as a trainer.
The clerk of the course is predicting conditions on the 'slow side of good' after several days of challenging weather with more heavy rain forecast before Friday afternoon.
Wemightakedlongway relished soft conditions on her last winning start at Navan and ran better than fifth place suggests when up against leading Derby contender Delacroix in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.
"She won her trial at Navan and has really trained well since," said Joseph O'Brien. "We had a number of options but the Oaks was always the strongest fancy. I thought she ran really well against the boys at Leopardstown and she's definitely a legitimate contender."
Minnie Hauk does the business in the Weatherbys ePassport Cheshire Oaks 🥇#ITVRacing | @ChesterRaces pic.twitter.com/yCHYg7duc6
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 7, 2025
Ballydoyle's jockey bookings are set. Ryan Moore takes the ride on Minnie Hauk, fresh from adding another Classic to his resume at last weekend’s French Derby, while Wayne Lordan partners Whirl and Irish Champion Jockey Colin Keane takes the ride on Giselle.
Coolmore splashed €1.85 million on daughter of Frankel Minnie Hauk and this is a great chance to repay that investment, following an eye-catching win in the Cheshire Oaks at Chester last month.
"She's a lovely, straightforward filly and we think she's come forward loads from Chester," said Aidan O'Brien, who is looking for his 11th win in the race.
"We had to try and get a run into her somewhere before the Oaks and that suited perfectly. We knew it wouldn't be too demanding of her and she would learn plenty from it.”
There was really no doubt that Moore would take the ride on Minnie Hauk after her display last month but it took a little longer for the white smoke to emerge on his Derby choice.
He will now partner Delacroix, contesting the top of the market with Godolphin's Ruling Court, while Keane rides The Lion in Winter and Lordan's in the saddle of Lambourn.
"Ryan will always ride the horse he thinks he has the best chance. Sometimes we're right and sometimes we're wrong," added O'Brien.
"He looks at their ability, the suitability of the horse for the race, and tries to get on the one he thinks is going to win. Obviously, no one gets that right all the time, so we'll just have to see how it goes.”
O'Brien has trained the Epsom Derby winner a record ten times and is looking to land three on the spin for the first time since 2014, following victories for Auguste Rodin and City of Troy, remarkable training performances after their respective flops in the 2000 Guineas a few weeks earlier, in 2023 and 2024.