Epsom The Oaks 2013

Great Weekend at Epsom The Oaks as ever worked out well for the blog  With first three home 
1 Talent 20/1 
2 Secret Gesture 3/1 
3 The Lark 16/1 

11 ran Distances: 3¾l, ¾l, hd

TIME 2m 42.00s (slow by 7.20s)

Jockey: Richard Hughes
Trainer: Ralph Beckett

toteswingers 1&2 £9.50, 1&3 £14.00, 2&3 £8.20 WIN £25.00 PL £4.70, £1.10, £4.90
Ex £71.90
CSF £78.17
TRICAST £1015.80 TRIFECTA 

Most of the trial winners were here and the Guineas was represented by the third from Newmarket. The winner overcame one or two difficulties to score quite easily in the end, but the early pace had been strong and that had set things up for something closing from behind.

TALENT looked to be very much the stable's second string, despite having won the Pretty Polly on her reappearance. Restrained leaving the stalls, she was keen running down the hill but was travelling strongly in behind horses early in the straight. She then ran into trouble, being bumped and denied a clear run, but once switched she really picked up, and finished her race off stronger than anything. By New Approach out of a mare who finished third in the Cheshire Oaks, the staminais in her pedigree, and while by all accounts she's nothing like as flashy a worker as her stablemate Secret Gesture, she clearly saves it for the track. It'll probably pay to believe the form rather than expect the positions to be reversed in the Irish Oaks.

Secret Gesture, easy winner of her trial at Lingfield, provided her trainer with a one-two in the race. Given a far more forward ride than her stablemate to overcome her poor draw in stall one, she had to go for home sooner than ideal and waseventually run down. Given that the winner and third came from well back it's likely she did better than it looks on paper, and her trainer still believes she'll win a Group 1. She could probably cope with a drop back to 1m2f as she travels well, but as there's not a lot of her and perhaps she'll always be the type who's best fresh. It looks likely she'll take on the winner again in the Irish Oaks.

The Lark, like the winner, was held up towards the back early on, which looked an advantage, but she then became trapped on the rail in the straight with rivals slowing down in front of her and also leaning on her. She did well in the circumstances, stepping up markedly on her reappearance effort at Newbury, and ought to improve again for the experience. The Ribblesdale is a possibility, although her trainer noted that it comes quite soon and that she needs give in the ground.

 and just the racing icing on the cake - 

roberttaylor03, DataForm Tipster Challenge WINNER, May 2013.

Tipster Challenge June 201301/06/13 to 30/06/13 Prize: 10 weeks membership for the tipster with the highest level-stakes profit (LSP). Join in at any time. Good Luck.  Now to start on the June Competition!  Good Luck all  Bob