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It's a fairly low-key Saturday this week - wouldn't it be better with a Classic?

Dan Hill argues that repositioning the Oaks is the solution to bolstering the weekend fare

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Epsom: has switched to 72-hour declarations for the Derby
Plans to make changes to the Derby festival have been put on holdCredit: Edward Whitaker

Which would you prefer: a Saturday racing programme containing three Group 3s, or one with a Classic and three Group 3s, perhaps with another thrown in for good measure?

It seems like a no-brainer to me – we'd all prefer the latter, and that's what we could have got this Saturday next year had the Jockey Club not put on hold plans to alter the Derby festival. 

One of the main proposals was to stage the Oaks on the Saturday before the Derby, and that's surely a step in the right direction as 'John of Gaunt weekend' – which sits either before or after Epsom's showpiece meeting depending on exactly when the first Saturday in June falls – is always a bit too low-key for my liking.

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