O’Brien duo stand tall in Oaks dozen Precise and Amelia Earhart give Aidan O’Brien a distinctly strong hand in the Betfred Oaks following the confirmation stage for the Friday feature at Epsom. A total of 12 fillies have been left in the mile-and-a-half Classic, with O’Brien responsible for five of them. In addition to Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Precise and Cheshire Oaks winner Amelia Earhart, the Ballydoyle trainer has Lingfield trial winner Cameo, Beautify and Sugar Island. Leading the home defence is the John and Thady Gosden-trained Musidora Stakes winner Legacy Link, who ended her two-year-old year when fourth in the Fillies’ Mile won by Precise. Gosden senior is looking forward to the challenge, saying: “They’re a good bunch of fillies and it looks like it’s an exciting Oaks, let alone an exciting Derby. You’ve got depth in the field in both, which is what it’s all about. “I think there’s some other very nice fillies in there. The thing is, it’s the beginning of June. Three-year-olds going a mile and a half the first time. The puzzle unlocks in front of you. But before the race, it’s hard to be dogmatic, that’s for sure. “A lot of these fillies haven’t truly come into bloom yet. You go and look at your gardens, same story.” A La Prochaine was third in the Cheshire Oaks and is one of three for Ralph Beckett in company with K Sarra and On Message. Andrew Balding is represented by Prizeland, with Charlie Johnston set to run Newmarket Guineas third Venetian Lace and Joseph O’Brien responsible for Thundering On.
