Second time lucky: can Westover and Emily Upjohn right the wrongs of last year's misfortunes in top-class Coronation Cup?

They say nobody remembers second place. Last year's Oaks and Derby belonged to Tuesday and Desert Crown, whose names are forever etched in the history books as Classic winners rather than Emily Upjohn and Westover. The Coronation Cup is not a Classic, but what it does provide is a Group 1 redemption opportunity over track and trip for the two hard-luck stories from those two races.

In the case of Emily Upjohn, her misfortunes were pronounced as she was the moral Oaks winner. She stumbled upon leaving the gates and lost around four lengths at the start. It was to her credit she emerged with a short-head second to a filly who benefited from a dream split up the inside, having raced widest to make up the ground.

While Westover took the Derby bronze medal, and might have struggled to defeat top-class colt Desert Crown in any case, he shaped second best at worst. Traffic problems repeatedly deprived him of a clear run until the bird had flown.

That is not the only connection between Emily Upjohn and Westover. The pair finished tailed off as first and second favourite for the King George at Ascot seven weeks later after both pulled too hard.

Freeness is a natural concern for Emily Upjohn following a 230-day break and racing in a small field. A fillip for Westover’s supporters is the fact he has had a run, and a brilliant one in the Sheema Classic, albeit 69 days ago.

What Westover proved when running on for second behind Japanese megastar Equinox – a prime candidate for best middle-distance horse on the planet – was the fact he retains every portion of his three-year-old ability.

Hurricane Lane performed below expectations in two starts at four and on his first start at five, but he bounced back to something resembling his three-year-old best in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket last month. The upturn in fortunes can possibly be attributed to the addition of first-time cheekpieces and the appendage is reapplied.

Like Emily Upjohn and Westover, Hurricane Lane is generally held up. That does not preclude him from making the running as tactics are open to reassessment, as Ryan Moore demonstrated by setting the fractions in exemplary fashion aboard Luxembourg in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last weekend. The decision paid dividends as he clung on for a narrow success from Bay Bridge, and it is a possibility Moore elects to control matters on prominent racer Point Lonsdale here.

Arguably Aidan O’Brien’s standout training performance of the year came last weekend with Little Big Bear bouncing back from a no-show in the 2,000 Guineas to re-establish himself as a top-class sprinter in the Sandy Lane. If O’Brien can coax a Group 1 out of Point Lonsdale in a competitive Coronation Cup, that achievement might be eclipsed.

Point Lonsdale: Aidan O'Brien inmate was a recent winner at ChesterCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

This talented brother to Broome missed his three-year-old campaign and has notched a couple of successes in lesser company this term, latterly when racing lazily for much of the Group 2 Huxley Stakes at Chester. He seems to keep a bit back for himself, but 1m4f promises to extract more from Point Lonsdale, as it did for Broome.

German form is often wrongly overlooked, so it is worth mentioning Tunnes, who completes the line-up for Peter Schiergen. He is virtually on a par with the other four on ratings despite his position as outsider of the field, but his most devastating performances have come when striding out on slow ground. That means tempting odds are probably worth resisting.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

Westover back for more at Epsom

Roll the clock black 12 months ago and Westover was a name on people's lips for the Derby in which he was third to Desert Crown after a luckless passage.

Since then, he has confirmed himself a top-drawer colt by powering to victory in the Irish Derby and finishing second to Japanese superstar Equinox in March's Dubai Sheema Classic.

Westover: returns to Epsom seeking redemption after his unlucky third in the 2022 DerbyCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The son of Frankel was bred by owners Juddmonte and is trained by Ralph Beckett, who said: "He's in very good form. He worked well on the grass at the weekend over six furlongs and we're all very happy with him and with the place we are in.

"The Coronation Cup has always been everyone's first choice because he handled Epsom so well last year. I thought it was a terrific run in Dubai, especially as he'd had a difficult preparation. He hadn't settled there for the first few days and things only started to fall into place close to the race, but he ran superbly well."

Tune into German runner's chance

Do not discount German raiders in big mile-and-a-half races even if their odds suggest otherwise. Torquator Tasso (72-1) and Danedream (20-1) taught us that in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, while the latter also captured the King George at 9-1 – a race won by compatriot Novellist not so long ago as well.

Danedream's trainer Peter Schiergen also struck in the Coronation Cup with Boreal in 2002 and is represented this time round by Tunnes, a half-brother to Torquator Tasso.

Peter Schiergen: trainer knows what it takes to win the Coronation CupCredit: Mark Cranham

He was an unchallenged top-level winner in the Grosser Preis von Bayern last year, but is the outsider of the field here. However, Schiergen believes him to be in the same class as Boreal and Danedream.

He said: "I'm very optimistic. He’s taking on better horses now than at home of course, but I think he's good enough. I think he has the same class as Boreal and Danedream. He's better on soft ground, but he acts on any going and good ground will be fine for him.

"He won his races very easily last year and then when he went to Japan [for the Japan Cup] he had trouble at the starting gate. He was in the stalls for a very long time and became nervous.

"He lost the race in the starting gate, but we've worked on that at home since and he's very good now."

What they say

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Hurricane Lane
He has been faultless since his win in the Jockey Club Stakes and looks in great order. It's a nice, competitive field and the ground should be lovely for him. We are very much looking forward to getting him back in Group 1 company again.

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Point Lonsdale
He's good and everything has gone well so far. We think a mile and a half will suit him well and we knew a mile and a quarter would be tight for him round Chester last time, but we wanted to run him there to try and sharpen him up.

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer of Emily Upjohn
She ran a great race the last time she was at Epsom to be second in the Oaks and showed her class at the end of last year when winning the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot. She had been under consideration for Dubai in March but, like a lot of fillies in Newmarket at that time, she had not quite come into herself. She's been in good form at home, although it's her first start of the year.
Reporting by James Burn

Friday's Epsom previews:

2.00 Epsom: 'He has lots of ability' - Royal Ascot clues abound in Woodcote Stakes    

2.35 Epsom: 'He's a course winner, which is a definite benefit at Epsom' - analysis and key quotes for tricky handicap    

3.45 Epsom: Course specialist Bad Company 'in rude health' - but will he handle quicker ground?    

4.30 Epsom: 'To me there are only three fillies who can win it' - who can beat Savethelastdance in the Oaks?    

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