Love completed the 1000 Guineas-Oaks double as the daughter of Galileo ran out a highly impressive nine-length winner of this afternoon’s Investec Oaks at Epsom, in a new race record time of 2.34.06.
The win gave trainer Aidan O’Brien his eighth victory in the Group 1 contest over a mile and a half, having previously won with Shahtoush (1998), Imagine (2001), Alexandrova (2006), Was (2012), Qualify (2015), Minding (2016) and Forever Together (2018).
The winning handler said of his latest Epsom Oaks winner:
“Before the Guineas we were aware that it was a little bit short for her – we always thought she would get a mile and a quarter well, and obviously she is by Galileo and has a lovely, long, low action. As you see she is very genuine, sticks her head out and really tries very hard, so we were always hoping that the extra distance was going to improve her, and we were absolutely delighted with the result.”
Aidan O’Brien went on to heap special praise on his latest double winner, stating:
“Love is very special. It is very hard to say you would ever have a better filly than her; we saw what she did in the Guineas. I don’t know how far she won that by, three or four lengths, and she doubled it today, and it is only her second run of the year.”
The winning jockey Ryan Moore, winning the Investec Oaks for the third time following Snow Fairy (2010) and Minding (2016), said of 2020 winner Love:
“I couldn’t have been happier with Love, and I don’t think she could have been any more impressive today. You never expect to win an Oaks – I don’t know how far she won by [it was nine lengths], but it felt like a very long way. She was exceptional today, and hopefully she has got plenty to look forward to in the future. She would be a threat to anything.”
The Séamie Heffernan-ridden Ennistymon was nine lengths behind her stable companion, with O’Brien very satisfied with his runner-up:.
“Ennistymon ran a very good race. The Ascot form stood up very well. We felt after Ascot [when second to Frankly Darling] that we would be happy to take the winner on again. It worked out how we thought it might. She was back a bit at Ascot and Frankly Darling got an easier time out in front and that changed today.”
The Investec Oaks (Group 1)
3.40pm, Epsom Downs, Saturday, 4 July, 2020. 1m 4f 6y. £250,000 Total Prize Fund.
1 (5) Love (IRE) (Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier) Aidan O’Brien IRE 3-9-00 11/10 Fav
2 (4) Ennistymon (IRE) (Evie Stockwell) Aidan O’Brien IRE 3-9-00 Séamie Heffernan 6/1
3 (3) Frankly Darling (Anthony Oppenheimer) John Gosden 3-9-00 Frankie Dettori 7/4
4 (6) Queen Daenerys (IRE) (H.H. SH Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa) Roger Varian 3-9-00 William Buick 25/1
5 (1) Passion (IRE) (Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith) Aidan O’Brien IRE 3-9-00 Pádraig Beggy 16/1
6 (2) Bharani Star (GER) (Phoenix Thoroughbred Limited) Peter Chapple-Hyam 3-9-00 Oisín Murphy 50/1
7 (8) Gold Wand (IRE) (Mohamed Khalid Abdulrahim) Roger Varian 3-9-00 Andrea Atzeni 22/1
8 (7) Tiempo Vuela (A E Oppenheimer and Sophie) John Gosden 3-9-00 Martin Harley 100/1
Time: 2m 34.06s (race record for Investec Oaks, previous best 2m 34.13s set by Enable in 2017)
Distances: 9, ¾, 5, hd, 3, 16, 18.
