Juddmonte Oaks an Option for Oldham’s Home-Bred Albisola

Plenty of Epsom clues were revealed in the past week as Classic hopefuls emerged at locations ranging from Longchamp to Leopardstown, Newmarket to Newbury and even Nottingham.

Gerry Oldham is no stranger to success at the highest level having seen his mighty stayer Sagaro win three Gold Cups at Ascot, but, despite a trio of Irish Classic triumphs as well as Zino’s 1982 2000 Guineas win and Intermezzo’s success in the 1969 St Leger, he is yet to capture an Epsom Classic. That could change this year as his filly Albisola is held in high regard and holds an entry for the Juddmonte Oaks on Friday, June 6 - Ladies Day.

Albisola, a Montjeu filly trained by Robert Collet in France, has won two of her three starts, including a fine victory on her seasonal reappearance in the Listed Prix Finlande over nine furlongs at Longchamp on April 6.

The octogenarian Oldham revealed today: “We’ve entered her in the Juddmonte Oaks and the Prix de Diane and she will hopefully run in one or the other. We are just as likely to meet the best animals wherever we go, so we will keep our options open. The French-trained fillies seem to be a stronger bunch at the moment but it is early days and there could be some good horses that have not even run yet.

“I’ve bred the family for about four generations. Originally, Peter Wragg bought a mare in Italy called Primula and her daughter was Caprera who gave me a great deal of top quality winners. She’s from my best family and it’s nice to see them doing well.

“Albisola won her last race on heavy ground really well. Being by Montjeu, she might prefer an easier surface but it was more difficult for us because she was meeting fillies who had already had a run this season and that makes a big difference at this time of year.

“She won that very well but we’ll see how good she is later on in the season. The immediate objective might be the Group One Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp on May 18, which I won with Lacovia before she won the Prix de Diane. If Albisola does well there then we would have the option of either the Juddmonte Oaks or the Prix de Diane.

“We’ve had a pretty quiet time for a while now but we’ve had some Classic success before with Talgo and Fidalgo in the Irish Derby and Lucero won the Irish 2,000 Guineas in the days of Harry Wragg. I’m sure that Albisola will do her best to try and add to that success”

Division one of the Robert Sangster Memorial Maiden Fillies’ Stakes at Newbury on Friday, April 18, could have a bearing upon this year’s Juddmonte Oaks as the first three home are engaged in the mile and a half Classic.

The 10-furlong race, which was won in 2005 by Eswarah on her way to Oaks success, saw the Roger Charlton-trained Clowance emerge victorious by a length and a quarter from Montbretia, owned by Khalid Abdulla and trained by Henry Cecil, with the Clive Cox-trained Miracle Seeker third.

The successful Montjeu filly will continue along the Eswarah route as she is set to contest the Swettenham Stud Stakes back at Newbury on May 16.

Aiden O`Brien had the answer to last year`s Rockfel Stakes, with the well bred Kitty Matcham (Johnny Murtagh nearside) just holding on from Missit and Darryl Holland (Newmarket 20-10-07)
© racing-images.co.uk

Across the Irish Sea at Leopardstown, the Ballydoyle filly Moonstone made her debut against some useful colts in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Stakes over 10 furlongs on April 20. The Sue Magnier-owned daughter of Dalakhani had a nice introduction under Johnny Murtagh, staying on noticeably to finish second, with stablemate and Vodafone Derby entry William Hogarth in third.

The stanjamesuk.com 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 4 will provide more clues as current Juddmonte Oaks favourite Cape Amber could take her chance along with the likes of Kitty Matcham, Savethisdanceforme, Laureldean Gale and Spacious.

THE 2008 JUDDMONTE OAKS
Class 1, Group 1, £375,000 Total Prize Fund. 4.05pm, Epsom Downs, Friday, June 6, 2008. For three-year-old fillies only. One mile, four furlongs. Weights: 9st each. Entries closed March 18, entries revealed March 19 (91 entries). Forfeit stage May 23, £20,000 supplementary entry stage and six-day confirmation stage May 31, final declaration stage 10.00am, June 4. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and include the racing up to and including Monday, March 17.

FORM HORSE OWNER TRAINER

5- ADORED (IRE) Sue Magnier & Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
41140-0 ALBABILIA (IRE) Saif Ali Clive Brittain
ALBAROUCHE Barbara Facchino Michael Jarvis
01- ALBISOLA (IRE) Gerry Oldham Robert Collet FR
0- ALMOUTEZAH (USA) Hamdan Al Maktoum Michael Jarvis
63- AMANJENA Michael Wates Andrew Balding
ANGELS STORY (IRE) June Judd Jim Bolger IRE
6- BEYOND COMPARE (IRE) Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE
BLESSING (USA) Sir Robert Ogden Jeremy Noseda
1- CAPE AMBER (IRE) Five Horses Ltd Peter Chapple-Hyam
1- CHINESE WHITE (IRE) Lady O'Reilly Dermot Weld IRE
11- CLASSIC LEGEND Moira McNamara Brian Meehan
CLASSIC REMARK (IRE) Hesmonds Stud Harry Dunlop
4- CLOWANCE Seasons Holidays Roger Charlton
(1)5- COMEBACK QUEEN Mr & Mrs Christopher Wright Sylvester Kirk
1- CRUEL SEA (USA) Khalid Abdulla Barry Hills
3- DANCING ABBIE (USA) Sheikh Marwan Al Maktoum Michael Bell
2- DAR RE MI Lord Lloyd-Webber John Gosden
32- DESERT CHILL (USA) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
DOLLY PENROSE Geoffrey Rowe Mick Channon
(0)2- DOVE (IRE) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
243- DUBAI POWER Dr Ali Ridha Clive Brittain
EBALISTA (IRE) H H Aga Khan John Oxx IRE
2- ELMALEEHA Hamdan Al Maktoum John Dunlop
EMAIL Saeed Manana Clive Brittain
10243- FESTOSO (IRE) Prince A A Faisal Harry Dunlop
3101- GAGNOA (IRE) Michael Tabor Andre Fabre FR
GENTLE ON MY MIND (IRE Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE
21- HALFWAY TO HEAVEN (IRE) Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
00- HOLD ME LOVE ME (IRE) Roisin Henry & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
HONORIA (IRE) Sue Magnier & Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
1- HONORLINA (FR) H H Aga Khan Jean Claude Rouget FR
(5)6- ICE QUEEN (IRE) Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
ICON PROJECT (USA) Andrew Rosen Brian Meehan
(2)- ISLAND VISTA Helena Springfield Ltd Michael Jarvis
0- JANE AUSTEN (IRE) Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
0010- JUNIPER BERRY (IRE) Sue Magnier John Murphy IRE
1- KATIYRA (IRE) H H Aga Khan John Oxx IRE
261- KITTY HAWK MISS (IRE) June Judd Jim Bolger IRE
44011- KITTY MATCHAM (IRE) Diane Nagle & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
1- LAUGHTER (IRE) Highclere Thoroughbred Racing(Petrushka) Sir Michael Stoute
120- LAURELDEAN GALE (USA) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
1221- LISTEN (IRE) Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier & Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
1- LOOK HERE Julian Richmond-Watson Ralph Beckett
0- LOVE TO DANCE (IRE) Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
1- LUSH LASHES Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE
1233- MAD ABOUT YOU (IRE) Moyglare Stud Farms Ltd Dermot Weld IRE
1- MARJALINA (IRE) Jorg Vasicek Kevin Prendergast IRE
2- MASIYMA (IRE) H H Aga Khan John Oxx IRE
131- MAX ONE TWO THREE (IRE) Andrew Black Tom Dascombe
MAZLOMA (USA) Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum Mick Channon
1- MICHITA (USA) Stonerside Stable LLC John Gosden
MILTON OF CAMPSIE Willie McKay Stuart Parr
23- MIRACLE SEEKER Dominic Burke Clive Cox
4- MONTBRETIA Khalid Abdulla Henry Cecil
MOONSTONE Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE
MY DARK ROSALEEN Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
000005- MYSTICAL LADY (IRE) Anne Marie O'Brien Aidan O'Brien IRE
0- PERIHELION (IRE) Anne Marie O'Brien Aidan O'Brien IRE
5510- PRIMA LUCE (IRE) Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE
112- PROVISO Khalid Abdulla Andre Fabre FR
2- PSALM (IRE) Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
(5)- QASAYED (USA) Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Clive Brittain
1-1 QUARAYED (USA) Marc Keller Jean Claude Rouget FR
203- QUEEN OF NAPLES H R H Princess Haya of Jordan John Gosden
QUEEN OF THE NIGHT Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
24- QUOTATION Cheveley Park Stud Sir Michael Stoute
1154- ROSA GRACE E P Duggan Rae Guest
0- SAIL (IRE) Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
340(1)41- SAVETHISDANCEFORME (IRE) Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier & Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
1- SCREEN STAR (IRE) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
11- SENSE OF JOY Khalid Abdulla John Gosden
(3)- SHY Jenny Willment Peter Winkworth
31- SIMAWA (IRE) H H Aga Khan John Oxx IRE
22- SIYABONA (USA) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
0- SIYASA (USA) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
604010- SOINLOVEWITHYOU (USA) Michael Tabor & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
20(1)650- SOLAS NA GREINE (IRE) Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE
2- SORTITA (GER) Hamdan Al Maktoum Michael Jarvis
6- SOVEREIGN'S HONOUR (USA) Saeed Suhail Sir Michael Stoute
11- SPACIOUS Cheveley Park Stud James Fanshawe
246- SUGAR MINT (IRE) Rick Barnes Barry Hills
0(2)0- SUMMERCOVE (IRE) Mrs John Murphy John Murphy IRE
SWEET SIXTEEN (IRE) Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
01- TEACHT AN EARRAIG (USA) Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE
055- TIFFANY DIAMOND (IRE) Anne Marie O'Brien Aidan O'Brien IRE
0- TIME CONTROL Merry Fox Stud Limited Luca Cumani
3- TRY ME (UAE) Saeed Manana Clive Brittain
(1)- WHISPERED DREAMS (GER) Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor UAE
21210- YOU'RESOTHRILLING (USA) Michael Tabor & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
11- ZARKAVA (IRE) H H Aga Khan Alain de Royer Dupre FR

91 Entries
38 Irish-trained
7 UAE-trained
5 French-trained