Sport | Horse Racing It’s a big afternoon as Epsom Ladies Day brings some of the top events of the horse racing calendar. Our resident tipster, Paul O’Brien, is here to deliver his top picks for the day ahead. This year’s Coronation Cup is a far more open affair than the opening market prices would have you believe.
Last year’s winner Emily Upjohn opened at 4/5, although proven at this course concerns on whether she will handle the ground conditions caused her to drift. British-bred, French-trained Feed The Flame has attracted attention because of his form in soft conditions in France but the horse most likely to take Emily Upjohn’s crown is Luxembourg. The Irish raider is proven in soft ground and although normally races over a mile and a quarter he does stay a mile and a half.
Jockey Ryan Moore may well decide to lead from the front and the others will need to be on top of their game to prevent him from kicking away on a track favourable to frontrunners. There are many different horses in this year’s Oaks that you could make a case for. All of Ralph Beckett’s entrants have a chance, although You Got To Me is unlikely to be able to reproduce her bold breakaway win of the Lingfield Trial in more testing conditions.
Her stablemate Forest Fairy on the other hand is at least based on pedigree, if not proven herself, a threat in testing conditions. However the Aidan O’Brien first string Ylang Ylang is favourite for a reason and proven in soft ground having won the.
