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The pedigrees behind the 11 runners in the Cazoo Oaks at Epsom

Kitty Trice takes a look at the line-up for the fillies' Classic on Friday

Who will follow in Minding's footsteps this year in the Oaks?
Who will follow in Minding's footsteps this year in the Oaks?Credit: Edward Whitaker

The Cazoo Oaks highlights the opening day of the Derby meeting on Friday. Emily Upjohn is the hot favourite but here we take a look at the pedigrees of all 11 contenders.

Emily Upjohn
Sea The Stars - Hidden Brief (Barathea)

The daughter of Sea The Stars has been favourably compared to her sire's 2014 winner, the brilliant Taghrooda, by joint-trainer John Gosden and appears to hold plenty of aces with three wins from as many starts, including when an easy winner of the Musidora Stakes.

Emily Upjohn (Frankie Dettori) wins the Musidora StakesYork 11.5.22 Pic: Edward Whitaker
Emily Upjohn: warm Oaks favourite is from the family of HarzandCredit: Edward Whitaker

Bred by Lordship Stud and Sunderland Holding, Emily Upjohn cost a comparatively cheap 60,000gns from Tattersalls Book 2 in 2020, especially considering she is out of a winning sister to Blue Wind Stakes winner and Irish Oaks third Hazarista and a half-sister to Hazariya, the dam of Sea The Stars' dual Derby hero Harzand.

Nashwa
Frankel - Princess Loulou (Pivotal)

A homebred of Blue Diamond Stud, the exciting Nashwa bids to provide her sire with a second Oaks success after Anapurna in 2019, while she is bred on the successful Frankel - Pivotal cross that has produced Cracksman, Veracious and Wild Beauty.

Nashwa is a half-sister to a mile and a half winner in Louganini (by the late Zoffany), with the pair out of a Pivotal mare who struck in the Gillies Fillies' Stakes and was also second to Ribbons in the Prix Jean Romanet when trained by Roger Varian.

Princess Loulou is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Easy Target and is out of Aiming, a Highest Honor half-sister to stakes scorer and Prix du Gros-Chene second Watching.

Tuesday
Galileo - Lillie Langtry (Danehill Dancer)

Tuesday has a pedigree that needs very little explaining, being a sister to the excellent Oaks and 1,000 Guineas winner Minding - a seven-time winner at the top level - as well as last year's Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Empress Josephine and Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial winner Kissed By Angels.

Tuesday: sister to the brilliant Oaks winner Minding
Tuesday: sister to the brilliant Oaks winner MindingCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

The trio are out of the prolific Danehill Dancer mare Lillie Langtry, the winner of the Coronation and Matron Stakes and a half-sister to useful stakes winner Count Of Limonade.


Frankel - Sand Vixen (Dubawi)

The Godolphin homebred is bred on an increasingly influential cross, one that has produced this season's impressive Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs and last year's Derby hero Adayar, as well as this filly's brother, the Jebel Hatta winner Dream Castle.

With The Moonlight was Listed-placed at two behind another Oaks runner in Kawida and struck in Newmarket's Pretty Polly Stakes this term.

NEWMARKET, ENGLAND - MAY 01: William Buick riding With The Moonlight (blue) win The Betfair Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse on May 01, 2022 in Newmarket, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
With The Moonlight: bred on the red-hot Frankel-Dubawi crossCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

She is out of Sand Vixen, who in turn was Dubawi's first ever stakes winner when landing the St Hugh's Stakes and then the Flying Childers. She is a half-sister to Listed winner So Will I.


Dubawi - Was (Galileo)

One of two representatives for Darley's supersire, Concert Hall is another with Epsom flowing through her blood as she is out of the 2012 Oaks heroine Was.

The Was Syndicate-bred filly was third behind Homeless Songs at the Curragh last time and has two black-type wins to her name, including when landing last season's Weld Park Stakes.

Concert Hall lands the Weld Park Stakes under Seamie Heffernan
Concert Hall: can she lead her rivals a merry dance?Credit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

She is a half-sister to two winners in Global Theatre and Darkness Falls, with their dam being a sister to Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner Douglas Macarthur, Curragh Cup scorer Amhran Na Bhfiann and the Group-placed Al Naamah, a 5,000,000gns purchase by Al Shaqab Racing from Tattersalls October Book 1 in 2013.

In turn they are out of the Listed-placed Alluring Park, a Green Desert half-sister to Derby winner and Derby-winning sire New Approach.


Australia - Repose (Quiet American)

The Tinnakill Bloodstock-bred daughter of Australia comes in with quite the page update as her half-brother State Of Rest has added the Prix Ganay to his wins in the Cox Plate and Saratoga Derby last year.

A talented performer herself, as shown when landing the Blue Wind Stakes by four lengths last month, the £160,000 Goffs Orby graduate is out of the unraced Quiet American mare Repose - who was bought by Juddmonte recently - a half-sister to stakes winners Prince Alzain and Echo River.

They are out of Listed winner Monaassabaat, herself a daughter of American champion filly It's In The Air.


Galileo - Discreet Marq (Discreet Cat)

A gritty winner of the Cheshire Oaks, the Moyglare Stud-bred Galileo filly is out of Del Mar Oaks heroine Discreet Marq, a $2,400,000 Moyglare purchase from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale in 2014 and herself out of a stakes winner in Marquetry mare To Marquet.

Thoughts Of June: one of two Galileo fillies in the line-up
Thoughts Of June: one of two Galileo fillies in the line-upCredit: Edward Whitaker

Thoughts Of June, who looked a progressive sort when breaking her maiden at Chester, is a sister to mile and a half winner Florence Camille, who struck in a Roscommon maiden last year for Dermot Weld.


Dubawi - Hawaafez (Nayef)

The Shadwell homebred was sold for just 35,000gns as part of the operation's downsizing at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale last year. And what a bargain she could prove to be if she could maintain her unbeaten record at Epsom on Friday.

The Lingfield Oaks Trial winner is the fifth foal out of the Nayef mare Hawaafez, the winner of the Cumberland Lodge Stakes and herself a great-granddaughter of the talented Wedding Bouquet, a sister to Oaks winner Imagine and half-sister to Derby winner Generous.


Lope De Vega - Lunesque (Azamour)

Moon De Vega is out of the one-mile-three-furlong French winner Lunesque, an Azamour half-sister to Prix de Flore and Prix Penelope winner Celimene and two further stakes performers in Fuel Life and Lune Rose, the latter the dam of Acomb Stakes and Classic Trial third Persian Moon and Listed winner Monroe Bay.

Lunesque is in turn out of a middle-distance winner in Groom Dancer mare Lunassa.


Sir Percy - Kandahari (Archipenko)

Kirsten Rausing's admirable daughter of Derby hero Sir Percy comes into the Epsom equitation perhaps a tad overpriced given she beat With The Moonlight in last year's Montrose Fillies' Stakes.

Kawida: has the form in the book and is related to Zaaki
Kawida: has the form in the book and is related to ZaakiCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

The consistent filly is the first foal out of the winning Archipenko mare Kandahari, a half-sister to multiple Australian Group 1 winner Zaaki and from a classy family that includes multiple Italian Group 1 winner and Eclipse Stakes third Altieri.


American Pharoah - Imagine (Sadler's Wells)

Arguably one of the best-bred runners in the field, albeit she could go off the outsider of the 11, The Algarve bids to give her sire a quick brace of Group 1 wins following Above The Curve's Prix Saint-Alary triumph last Sunday.

She is the 13th foal out of the remarkable Imagine, a daughter of Sadler's Wells who won the Oaks and Irish 1,000 Guineas in 2001 and who has produced French Group 1-winning juveniles Van Gogh (also by American Pharoah) and Horatio Nelson, as well as the Group-winning and top-level-placed Viscount Nelson, Grade 3 scorer Point Piper, and Rockfel Stakes victress Kitty Matcham.

Imagine is herself a half-sister to dual Derby hero and King George winner Generous and the smart Wedding Bouquet, as well as being a sister to stakes winner and Irish 1,000 Guineas second Strawberry Roan.


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Kitty TriceBloodstock journalist

Published on 2 June 2022inNews

Last updated 13:22, 2 June 2022

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