Mandesha made a winning return to the races at Saint-Cloud on Wednesday with a victory in the Group 2, $174,000 Prix Corrida.
The European 3-year-old champion and three-time Group 1 winner, Mandesha had not run since winning the Prix de l'Opera at Longchamp on Oct. 1. Her long absence was telling, as she showed some rustiness in defeating recent Group 3 Prix Allez France winner Macleya by three-quarters of a length.
Henry Cecil has not won the English Oaks since 1999, but at Epsom on Friday the legendary trainer will saddle the two favorites for the $731,000, 1 1/2-mile filly classic, Passage of Time and Light Shift, as he goes after his eighth Oaks triumph.
Passage of Time will be the short-priced choice at about 7-4. A daughter of Dansili from the family of 1992 Oaks runner-up All at Sea, she prepped with a neck victory in the 1 5/16-mile Group 3 Musidora Stakes, six months after defeating colts in her 2-year-old finale, the 1 1/4-mile Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.
Vodka became the first filly since 1943 to win the Tokyo Yushun, or Japanese Derby, when she slammed 17 male rivals into submission in the $2.8 million, 1 1/2-mile classic at Tokyo Racecourse.
Under Hirofumi Shii, the 9-1 Vodka rambled home home three lengths in front of longshot Asakusa Kings, with Admire Aura another 1 3/4 lengths back in third. The favored Fusaichi Ho O made up some late ground to finish seventh, 6 1/4 lengths behind the winner. Vodka's time was a fast 2:24.50 on firm ground.
Finsceal Beo landed her classic double in the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh on Sunday, but Dylan Thomas went down to defeat in the Tattersalls Gold Cup after a prolonged battle with Notnowcato.
The winner of the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 6, Finsceal Beo had suffered a heartbreaking head loss to Darjina in the French equivalent at Longchamp just a week later. Perhaps feeling the effects of so many top class races in such a short period of time, the Mr. Greeley filly had to work harder than ever to hold off the 66-1 Dimenticata by a neck in the Curragh 1000.
Cockney Rebel completed his classic double at the Curragh on Saturday with a gritty score in the $537,000 Irish 2000 Guineas.
The 3-2 favorite, Cockney Rebel sat in third early under Olivier Peslier, closer to the pace than he had when he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket three weeks ago. He charged to the front at the quarter pole, then held off the determined bid of the 7-1 Creachadoir, who had been runner-up in the French 2000 Guineas.
Cockney Rebel prevailed by a length with 40-1 longshot He's a Decoy third, another length behind.
Two of Europe's leading lights headline the program at the Curragh on Sunday, when Finsceal Beo attempts to land a classic mile double in the $537,000 Irish 1000 Guineas, while Dylan Thomas goes in search of his fourth Group 1 triumph in the $402,000 Tattersalls Gold Cup.
With the Epsom Derby's five-day entry stage not arriving until Monday, there are still 22 horses poised to run in next Saturday's 1 1/2-mile classic. It should not surprise anyone that Aidan O'Brien is the trainer of nine of those 22, while Saeed bin Suroor has three, giving the Magnier-Tabor-Smith consortium and Godolphin more than half of the Derby's possible runners.
The rags-to-riches Cockney Rebel will go after his second classic mile of the spring at the Curragh on Saturday in the $538,000 Irish 2000 Guineas.
The 1 1/2-length winner of the the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 5, Cockney Rebel was picked up by owner Phil Cunningham for just $58,000 as a yearling. A son of a Breeders' Cup Mile winner, Val Royal, he could go off as low as the even-money favorite in the Irish 2000, in which again be challeneged by the Newmarket runner-up, Vital Equine.