Epsom Oaks

The Epsom Oaks is the premier middle-distance Classic contest for three-year-old fillies over a mile and a half and is regarded as the fillies’ equivalent of the Derby. Held at Epsom Downs racecourse, the Oaks is part of the British Champions Series and is sponsored by Investec.

• Length of the race – A mile and a half.
• Where to watch – RTV and ITV.
• When to watch – Friday, May 31 at 4.30pm.
• Prize-money – The race is worth £500,000, with £283,550 going to the winner.
• Course – The race is run at Epsom Downs racecourse.
• Race type – The Oaks is a Group 1 contest open to three-year-old fillies.
• Weights – Fillies carry 9st.Ages – The Oaks is open to three-year-old fillies only.
• Sponsor – The race has been sponsored by Investec since 2009.

Race stats

• Juvenile RPR no higher than 105, 9/10
• Recorded best RPR last time out, 8/10
• Adjusted RPR of at least 115, 8/10
• Won over 7f or a mile at two, 8/10
• Between two and six career runs, 7/10

Other factors

Only three winners had run in Group company at two – the two who had won at that level were trained by Aidan O’Brien (Qualify and Minding).

Record of the trial winners: Pretty Polly 71154; Cheshire Oaks 004270441; Newbury Fillies’ Trial 3309.  

Key trials

In Britain, the Cheshire Oaks and Lingfield Oaks Trial are seen as the principal trials alongside the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket. The 1,000 Guineas has also provided clues for the Epsom Classic in recent years with Minding scoring in 2016. The Musidora Stakes at York has also thrown up recent winners too.

The Irish 1,000 Guineas is also a race to note, while the Athasi Stakes is another contest that has been used as an Epsom trial in the past.

What happened last year?

Aidan O’Brien’s Forever Together was a surprise winner of the Oaks having not won a race beforehand while also providing Donnacha O’Brien with his second Classic of the season following Saxon Warrior’s victory in the 2,000 Guineas. The daughter of Galileo was a decisive winner, scoring by four and a half lengths from favourite Wild Illusion.

Where can I get Oaks tickets?

Epsom Derby and Oaks tickets can be purchased from The Jockey Club website here.

Oaks tip

Pink Dogwood was ante-post favourite for the fillies’ Classic, perhaps owing more to potential rather than racecourse results, but there’s no doubting she is bred for the job. However, the John Gosden-trained Mehdaayih was hugely impressive when winning the Cheshire Oaks and it is worth noting stablemate Enable won at Chester before victory at Epsom. She showed stamina was not an issue and should handle Epsom too. (Kitty Trice)

• Mehdaayih
• Pink Dogwood
• Anapurna

View the racecard and place your bets here.