Agave Will Skip The Cazoo Oaks

Group 3 winner Agave (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has been removed from the G1 Cazoo Oaks field, leaving 18 fillies in the hunt for the fillies' Classic, following the release of the current acceptances on Friday. The Juddmonte homebred won her first three starts, including the G3 Prix Penelope on Apr. 2, but she was last seen running second in the G2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud this past Sunday. Impressive G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. victress and 'TDN Rising Star' Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), for John and Thady Gosden, remains the market leader.

Another filly out of a Classic is Group 3 winner Hermana Estrella (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who will miss the G1 French 1000 Guineas on Sunday and instead point for the Irish equivalent on May 22, as trainer Fozzy Stack deemed the underfoot conditions to be too dry for his filly. Although she has only made one start, the Paul Smith, Joe Poulin and J. Carthy colourbearer made it count, taking the G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint S. at Naas last May.

“It was just the weather forecast,” he said. “The forecast is very dry and very hot for the weekend in Paris–around 28C or 29C–and so we are just going to wait for the Curragh on the following Sunday. She is in good form.”

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Rogue Millennium Will Be Supplemented to The Oaks

Rogue Millennium (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won the May 7 Listed SBK Oaks Trial Fillies' S., will be supplemented to the G1 Cazoo Oaks on June 3, trainer Tom Clover confirmed. The daughter of Group 3 winner Hawaafez (GB) (Nayef) was bred by the late Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Estate Company and the owners The Rogues Gallery will pay the £30,000 supplementary entry fee required to contest the Epsom Downs showpiece. The filly, purchased for only 35,000gns out of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2021, won at Wetherby on debut last month.

Clover said, “Rogue Millennium is a lovely filly that deserves her chance to be in the Oaks and it is now very much the plan to go to Epsom. We discussed it several times and both the owners and I are keen to go there.

“For any young trainer to have a horse like her bred by Sheikh Hamdan going for the Oaks is very special. Sheikh Hamdan is part of the sport's heritage and he had so many successes with my late father-in-law Michael Jarvis including winning the Oaks with Eswarah (GB) (Unfuwain) [in 2005].

“To have the chance to train a filly for the Oaks from the same place Sheikh Hamdan won the race with my late father-in-law Michael Jarvis is really exciting.

“I don't believe we are going there simply to have a runner but because we have a chance. I hope she can make both us and The Rogues Gallery team proud.”

Added Clover, “Having a runner in a Classic is something new to us and now the focus is on getting the filly there in the best possible shape we can. It is exciting but we just want a smooth run.”

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Piz Badile Headed to Epsom

He won the Oaks as a rider and now Donnacha O'Brien is concentrating on securing more big-race riches at Epsom by confirming Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}) to be on course for the Cazoo Derby June 4.

Piz Badile announced himself as a genuine Derby contender when fighting tooth and nail to beat Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G3 Ballysax S. at Leopardstown last month and, while O'Brien suggested a return to Leopardstown for the G3 Derrinstown Derby Trial could be a possibility at the time, the trainer is happy to head straight to Epsom with colt.

The form of that Ballysax victory was given a major boost on Monday when Buckaroo bagged the Listed Tetrarch S. and O'Brien, who describes Piz Badile as by far the classiest colt he has trained, believes the general 12-1 chance for Derby glory possesses a lot of the right attributes to be successful at Epsom.

“Piz Badile is in good form, everything is perfect with him, but we decided that we will go straight to the Derby with him,” O'Brien said. “We've had a smooth run with him, everything has gone perfectly well with him since he won the Ballysax, but we think it's the right thing to go straight to Epsom with him rather than taking in another trial. So that's the plan.”

He added: “It was great to see his form boosted by Buckaroo at the Curragh. They pulled clear of their rivals in the Ballysax, so it looked like they were two smart horses at the time. But for Buckaroo to confirm that at the Curragh on Monday would obviously boost your confidence levels.

“I don't think you can ever be confident heading into a race like the Derby, but I am confident that we have a very good colt on our hands and Epsom will be a completely different test to what any of the horses in the line-up has ever faced before.

“You can't be sure about how well a horse will handle a track like Epsom, not to mention the festivities surrounding the occasion, until they go and do it. But we are very confident that he's a high class colt with a good mind. He has a lot of the attributes required for the race.”

Piz Badile burst onto the scene last summer for O'Brien by taking the same Killarney maiden the trainer won as a rider aboard Ballydoyle's subsequent Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2018. Of course, Anthony Van Dyck is not the only Derby winner to have won his maiden at the County Kerry track, as Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}) also broke his duck at Killarney.

O'Brien, who won the Oaks in 2018 aboard his father Aidan's Forever Together, is hoping that quirky stat can repeat itself next month.

“You need a horse with a good mind, because they need to be able to handle the whole situation, and you need a well balanced horse as well,” he explained. “If they're not balanced, they won't be going forward around Tattenham Corner, and if you're not going forward there, you may as well give up.

“Obviously they need speed, because if you don't have the pace to hold your position, you're bunched, you're completely out of the race before it's even started. On top of all that, you stamina, because it's a long home straight with a stiff finish. You need everything to win a Derby and Piz Badile has shown us at home that he has all of those things.”

He added: “Piz Badile definitely ranks up with the best that I've trained. It's hard to compare fillies and colts. Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) obviously went and won two Group 1s, so he has to prove himself at that level but, at the same time, in terms of the colts, he's by far the classiest one I have ever had.

“I don't have any concerns about the Derby trip, if anything, the extra couple of furlongs will bring out the best in him. The one thing he has done on all three of his starts is hit the line really strong so he has plenty of stamina.”

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Cazoo Oaks Attracts 46 Entries

A total of 46 3-year-old fillies have been entered in the G1 Cazoo Oaks and 20 horses have stood their ground for the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs on June 3. Two dozen fillies represent the home team, and John and Thady Gosden train the 2021 Cartier Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for Cheveley Park Stud. She sports three black-type wins including the G1 Fillies' Mile on Oct. 8. G3 Flame of Tara S. victress Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was unplaced in that affair for Zhang Yuesheng and the Jessica Harrington yard.

Mise En Scene (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) captured the G3 Prestige S. at Goodwood on Aug. 28 for Qatar Racing and James Ferguson. Fourth in the Fillies' Mile, she went on to compete in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5. Kirsten Rausing's Kawida (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}) gave trainer Ed Walker a score in the Listed Montrose S. at Newmarket on Oct. 30, defeating Godolphin's With The Moonlight (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in third.

Also entered is Her Majesty The Queen's Perfect Alibi (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}) from the yard of William Haggas. If successful, the unraced filly would be the third Oaks heroine for The Queen, who won the Oaks with Carrozza (GB) (Dante {GB}) in 1957 and Dunfermline (GB) (Royal Palace {GB}) in 1977. The latter succeeded during the year of Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee. The June 4 G1 Cazoo Derby will form part of the official celebrations for the upcoming Platinum Jubilee.

The Irish challenge is very strong in 2022, with 21 entered at this stage, led by 14 from the Coolmore partners/Aidan O'Brien camp. G3 Weld Park S. victress Concert Hall (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) holds an entry, as does Only (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}, the daughter of dual Classic heroine Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

Another member of the Irish contingent is the listed-placed Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the colours of Teme Valley from Joseph O'Brien's stable.

Juddmonte's undefeated filly Agave (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won the G3 Prix Penelope on Apr. 2, has been entered as the only French-trained representative for Andre Fabre in the fillies' Classic.

Godolphin's 2021 G1 Cazoo Derby hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) anchors the Coronation, alongside his Charlie Appleby stablemate and fellow Classic winner Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). Appleby is also considering the Epsom Downs contest for GI Breeders' Cup Turf hero Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Other Group 1 winners nominated at this point are: Ali Saeed's Teona (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}); Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) for Joseph O'Brien in the silks of Teme Valley; the La Pyle Partnership's Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) from the yard of William Muir and Chris Grassick; Shadwell's Eshaada (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) for Roger Varian; and Sir Mark Prescott is represented by three-time German Group 1 winner Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for Kirsten Rausing.

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