Snowfall on a par with Enable in record-breaking Oaks demolition

Snowfall's record-breaking romp must clearly rate as one of the best Oaks-winning performances, but putting a figure to it is not straightforward. A Racing Post Rating of 123 ranks her alongside Enable (2017) and behind only Ouija Board (124, 2004) among the best Oaks winners by RPR this century with those figures bettered only by Salsabil (126, 1990) in RPR history.

The huge winning distance and visual impression of her win are major pluses, but there are doubts with Snowfall bounding clear right up against the stands' rail on rain softened ground.

The race also looked a less-than-vintage running beforehand with Dubai Fountain and Saffron Beach boasting the best form with RPRs of 111 against an Oaks-winning standard of 117. And although comparing favourably with the Coronation Cup, the overall time was less than stellar historically, being the slowest since Kazzia won on officially soft ground in 2002 and almost identical to that recorded by Minding on similar ground in an ordinary Oaks in 2016.