The Oaks, the fillies’ equivalent of Saturday’s Derby Stakes, takes centre stage on Epsom’s Friday card with the nine declared looking for Classic glory.
Aiden O’Brien’s Minding has already tasted it when running away with the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, but she met defeat in the Irish version two weeks ago so can be backed at odds-against today – a defeat blamed on soft ground and her banging her head in the stalls.
It’s not an ideal prep and that won’t have been an easy race, so with all the rain that’s fallen this week there’s enough reason to doubt her stamina and take her on.
At the time of writing the first race has just finished in a slow time, confirming it’s pretty testing out there so stamina is going to be essential.
With nine runners I’m looking for an each-way chance and Hugo Palmer’s ARCHITECTURE might be the best bet at 16/1 with Bet365.
She won her maiden on soft ground and her trainer has no doubt she’ll stay this one-and-a-half-mile trip, so a lot points to her running a big race.
This would be just her fourth career start as well, so there’s plenty of scope for progression and reasons to believe she’ll outrun her odds.
0.5pts each-way Architecture @16/1, 16:30 Epsom, Friday
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