Confidence high for Oaks favourite Amelia Earhart - despite her unusual headgear combination 'not making any sense'

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Aidan O'Brien's impressive Chester heroine Amelia Earhart and Precise look poised for a tilt at Betfred Oaks glory with stablemate Diamond Necklace likely to return to France for the Prix de Diane after she put up a scintillating display in the French 1,000 Guineas last weekend.

Minnie Hauk landed the Cheshire Oaks on her reappearance last year before going on to become a Classic winner at Epsom and the "quirky" but immensely talented Amelia Earhart is set to go the same route after she rocketed to 5-2 favouritism with an emphatic two-length win over I'm The One last Wednesday.

Having taken five starts to get off the mark last year before winning a Leopardstown maiden, the daughter of Camelot has very much been a work in progress and was tried in the unusual combination of blinkers and a hood in the Cheshire Oaks.

However, the headgear did the trick as she behaved perfectly under Ryan Moore and showed a sharp turn of foot to score on her seasonal return. O'Brien explained that a lot of trial and error went into ironing out her quirks at home, but she was always earmarked as a hugely talented filly with Epsom credentials.

Amelia Earhart pulls clear of her rivals in the Cheshire OaksCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"We always had it in our head that she was an Epsom filly, even before she ran at two, but she was quirky," he explained. "She has a kink in her and we saw it a few times last year.

"That's why she had the gear on her. We tried everything during the winter with her and this is what we landed on as it's what she behaved best in. She behaved very well at Chester and it's probably as close to Epsom as you'd get. It's on a lesser scale but all the things such as people, track, crowd are there and they've to deal with a lot of stuff. 

"It didn't make any sense as one is to slow her down and the other is to drive her forward! But sometimes if things work, you just do them."

While Diamond Necklace is next in the Oaks market at 8-1, she's more likely to attempt a Classic double in France after she extended her unbeaten run to four with a power-packed display on Sunday at Longchamp.

The St Mark's Basilica filly has now landed two Group 1s in scintillating style at Longchamp having won the Prix Marcel Boussac in October and could bid for a third top-level victory in France in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly on June 14.

Precise could bid for a Classic double at the Curragh and EpsomCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Cameo and Precise, who was the standout two-year-old filly last year with Group 1 wins in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile, could also be bound for Epsom, giving Ryan Moore another difficult call about who to partner.

"At the moment, we're thinking Diamond Necklace could go back for the Diane. Cameo could go to Epsom and we always had it in our head that Precise could get the Oaks trip and could go to the Irish Guineas and come back to the Oaks. You can do it with two weeks between them and Minding did it, so it is possible. 

"If she did go to the Oaks, it would be another difficult one for Ryan as he'd have to ride Precise very patiently, whereas he knows Amelia Earhart will get it [the trip]."

Betfred Oaks (4.00 Epsom, June 5)
Betfred: 5-2 Amelia Earhart, 5 Diamond Necklace, 8 I'm The One, Legacy Link, 10 Abashiri, 12 Venetian Lace, 14 Precise, 16 My Ophelia, A La Prochaine, Behrayna, Cameo, 20 bar

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