Queen Of The Pride heads high-profile pairing for the Gosdens in a top-notch Yorkshire Oaks

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Queen Of The Pride bids to become the first Lancashire Oaks winner to follow up in the white rose equivalent since Catchascatchcan did the double for Sir Henry Cecil in 1998.

Cecil is remembered by the famous gates at the owners' and trainers' entrance on the Knavesmire, and representatives of Qatar Racing may pass through those gates with optimism that Queen Of The Pride can take her next step up the ladder.

The closest the famous maroon and gold silks have come to landing the fillies' and mares' feature was when Secret Gesture finished third in 2013, but Queen Of The Pride will become a valuable asset to the Tweenhills Stud broodmare band if she can land a Group 1, as she is from the only crop of their much-missed star Roaring Lion and out of their Classic winner Simple Verse.

The four-year-old has been climbing the ranks for John and Thady Gosden this season, winning the Group 3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes and Group 2 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock on her last two starts.

Qatar Racing's David Redvers said of Queen Of The Pride: “She's having a fantastic season and we're very excited about her. This has been the plan for some time.

"We've always thought she was a very nice filly and she's out of a St Leger winner. Simple Verse was one of the best mares, if not the best, to go to Roaring Lion, so it's what we always hoped for.”

No hood for Emily

While Queen Of The Pride has gone from strength to strength this season, her stablemate Emily Upjohn has some questions to answer.

She will run without a hood for the first time in over a year as she bids to atone for a disappointing effort in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood last time. She never managed to get any cover from a wide draw on that occasion, finishing a well-beaten sixth as 7-4 favourite.

The five-year-old had previously put in a much more promising performance at the Curragh where she was just run down by Bluestocking in the Pretty Polly Stakes.

Emily Upjohn (left) produced her best performance of the season behind Bluestocking Credit: CAROLINE NORRIS

She boasts winning form at York, landing the 2022 Musidora Stakes on her only start on the Knavesmire.

Emily Upjohn’s last win came over the Yorkshire Oaks trip of a mile and a half in last year’s Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom, and she will bid to emulate Dar Re Mi (2009) and The Fugue (2013) who did the double in the Lloyd Webber silks for the Gosden stable.

John Gosden said: “The Yorkshire Oaks has always been her main summer target and we think the mile and a half and fast ground will play to her strengths. We know she likes the track as she won the Musidora Stakes on the Knavesmire as a three-year-old."

You Got To Me camp feeling confident

The Irish Oaks first and second feature in this talented cast of fillies and mares and there is confidence that You Got To Me can go close to landing another Group 1 pot.

Trained by Ralph Beckett, You Got To Me was ridden with more patience at the Curragh than in the Oaks at Epsom and beat the reopposing Content by three-quarters of a length.

Although You Got To Me got first run on the runner-up at Curragh, Alex Elliott, spokesman for owners Valmont, thinks she is well placed to go close again.

Elliott said: "She’s been in very good form at home since the Irish Oaks and this seems like the logical next step. She’s bred to get better with age and experience so there is no reason why she can’t run another big race.

"We think the quicker ground will suit her more than the easy surface at the Curragh and we wouldn’t swap her."

Going update

The ground remained officially good to firm, after a day on which two course records were broken. Water was being applied to the track at York on Wednesday evening, with another dry day expected for the second day of the Ebor Festival. Clerk of the course Anthea Leigh said: “We are putting 2mm on overnight all round. That will equalise all that we lost from evaporation and transpiration today. It is due to be dry overnight and tomorrow, although it will be windy, but there is rain forecast for Friday morning.”

What they say

Hughie Morrison, trainer of Mistral Star
A nice fast surface is important to her – like the downland gallops she trains on at home. If she gets that she'd have a good chance. It was a skidpan when she was beaten at Haydock behind Queen Of The Pride and after that she enjoyed the quick conditions at Newmarket.

Philip Robinson, racing manager to Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, owner of Sea Theme
She won the Galtres Stakes last year over this track and trip so deserves a crack at this. She’s coming off the back of a win in France and goes there in good shape.

Aidan O’Brien, trainer of Content and Port Fairy
We were very happy with Content’s run in the Irish Oaks. It was her first run at a mile and a half. We thought she was finishing off very well and we think she’s a filly who will keep progressing. We’ve been happy with Port Fairy’s work and we think she'll leave her last run behind her.

David O'Meara, trainer of Lava Stream
It's a red-hot race against the older fillies. She got a bit too lit up in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh last time, but we were delighted with her performances at Ascot and Goodwood before that. If she finds that form again I hope she'll run a nice race.

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