Taghrooda’s group stakes debut Friday produced a romping victory in the Group 1 Epsom Oaks, a first win in the race for trainer John Gosden and jockey Paul Hanagan, who rode his first Classic winner.
Just a Way, the winner of the $5 million Dubai Duty Free at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in March, will be favored to win Sunday’s $2,031,250 Yasuda Kinen for turf milers at Tokyo Racecourse.
If one is betting on Australia to win the Epsom Derby on Saturday at Epsom Downs in England, and the colt is the heavy antepost favorite, one is betting as much on trainer Aidan O’Brien and the reputation of his operation as the animal himself.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien can win the Epsom Oaks for the fifth time Friday at Epsom Downs, but his leading chance, Marvellous, has no decided edge on several others in the 17-horse field.
John Hills, who trained a Group 1 winner in Europe, as well as Docksider, who was third in the 1999 Breeders’ Cup Mile, died of pancreatic cancer Sunday, according to press reports in England.
One and Only, fourth in the Japanese 2000 Guineas in April, outfinished favored Isla Bonita to win Sunday’s $4,137,707 Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse.
The Grey Gatsby won the Prix du Jockey Club by three lengths on Sunday at Chantilly, becoming the first England-based horse to land the French Derby since Holding Court did so in 2000.
Isla Bonita, the winner of the Japanese 2000 Guineas on April 20, will be favored to win the second leg of that country’s Triple Crown in Sunday’s $4,173,707 Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse.
Prince Gibraltar in his final start at age 2 and first race at 3 looked like the best French horse of his generation, an impression he can confirm Sunday at Chantilly in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club.
In April, Nuovo Record was caught in the final strides of the Grade 1 Japanese 1000 Guineas by Harp Star, losing the classic race by a neck. In Sunday’s $2,204,393 Japanese Oaks at Tokyo Racecourse, Nuovo Record held off a late challenge from the heavily favored Harp Star to win the first stakes of her career.
