Thursday 20th August 2020

Author: Jordan Yates

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Race Preview

My second preview of the week at York’s Ebor Festival comes in the form of the feature race of Day 2 which is the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks. The race is ran over a distance of just shy of a mile and four furlongs and has been won by horses such as Enable and Sea Of Class in recent times. This year’s renewal of the race is headed by another potentially top-class filly which is the Aidan O’Brien trained Love who sits at the top of the betting at a very short price. She’s won both the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks so far in her two outings this season, both in very impressive style, more so the last time at Epsom where she dismantled the field by some way. Ryan Moore is back in the saddle once more and she’s the red hot favourite.

John Gosden sends two fillies to take their place in the field here and the first of these Frankel filly Franconia who’s the mount of James Doyle. She’s won both of her starts this season which were both Listed events, with the latest coming at this track where she was workmanlike when a 1/3 favourite. Frankly Darling concludes the Gosden duo and she arrives here having finished nearly 10 lengths behind Love at Epsom in the Oaks. She was impressive the time before that though when winning the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot when getting the better of Ennistymon, she’ll be looking to bounce back to similar form that again here.

It’s not just Love who’s the Irish raider in the line-up as Jessica Harrington looks set to send One Voice to take her place here. A filly by Poet’s Voice she was last seen when finishing a neck second in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood last month. She was also the winner of a Group 3 at Leopardstown back in June. Tom Marquand looks set to take the ride and she’s currently trading at around 8/1.

There’s two more home contenders that will conclude the field and the first of these is Manuela De Vega for Ralph Beckett and Rob Hornby. She’s also won both of her starts this season of which both came at Haydock, the first coming in a Group 3 before following in the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks the last day. She’s a general 14/1 chance on this occasion. Alpinista will make up the field at around the 33/1 mark for Sir Mark Prescott and Ryan Tate. It’s a quick turnaround for her having been last seen less than a week ago when making all to win a Listed race at Salisbury, before that she finished fourth in another Listed event which took place at Vichy in France.

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Race Verdict

This is far from a betting proposition for me as I find it pretty much impossible to see past LOVE. She’s been mightily impressive in her two classic wins this season and her form is by far and wide the best on offer here. The manner of her victories have been nothing short of explosive and it will take a might performance to beat here from any of her opposition in this particular affair. Frankly Darling is probably better than that Epsom run and I think she could get a bit closer on this occasion, and if One Voice runs up to the form of her neck second in the Nassau she has every chance of running another good race within Group 1 company. Very hard to see Love beat though.

Love (Win) (Finishing Position: 1st)