2026 Epsom Oaks News - Quotes from connections
Ahead of the 2026 Epsom Oaks, top trainers and jockeys share their thoughts on their runners’ form and prospects. Aidan O’Brien reports confidence in Amelia Earhart’s preparation, while Colin Keane is optimistic about Legacy Link’s ability to handle the Epsom track. Joseph O'Brien believes Thundering On is well-suited for the Oaks, despite concerns over the extra distance. Meanwhile, Ralph Beckett outlines positive progress for his trio—A La Prochaine, K Sarra, and On Message—and Charlie Johnston is confident in Venetian Lace’s class, with the only unknown being the trip. The consensus: anticipation and cautious optimism.
- Quotes from connections ahead of the 2026 Epsom Oaks
- This Classic takes place at Epsom on June 4th
- Read quotes from Aidan O'Brien, Colin Keane, Joseph O'Brien and more
- Aidan O'Brien (Amelia Earhart)
- Colin Keane (Jockey of Legacy Link)
- Joseph O'Brien (Thundering On)
- Aidan O'Brien (Cameo)
- Ralph Beckett (A La Prochaine, K Sarra and On Message)
- Charlie Johnston (Venetian Lace)
Oaks Quotes
Read exclusive quotes from connections ahead of the 2026 Epsom Oaks, which takes place at Epsom on Friday.
Here's what connections have had to say ahead of the Epsom Oaks.
2026 Epsom Oaks News - Quotes From Connections
Aidan O'Brien (Amelia Earhart)
We're very happy. She's by Camelot so you'd hope she'd handle an ease in the ground, and we were delighted with her at Chester.
She should get the trip well as her brother stayed very well and we're looking forward to her.
She's in good form and everything has gone right since the last day. We've left the headgear - the hood and the blinkers on her – so we're looking forward to it now.
Blinkers can sharpen up a horse up but sometimes it also stops a horse from looking behind and she had a habit of always looking back. Obviously, then when you put the blinkers on you don't want to light her up too much, so that's why we had the hood on.
We put them on just to stop her from looking back rather than her being ungenuine. A few times when she's run without them, she's not been looking in front of her and jinked and hit the rail.
We were trying to teach her last year and she was slowly coming along, but when you get to this stage of a Classic year you don't have much time. We've taken the hood off and left the blinkers on and tried different scenarios, but then we went back to the same again because that's what she seems best with.
Colin Keane (Jockey of Legacy Link)
Legacy Link seems to have come out of the York race well and when we went to Epsom (for the gallops morning) she seemed to handle the track well, put herself on the right lead and levelled up and got to the line well without doing anything crazy. There is no doubts about her staying, that will be no issue.
It’s exciting and these are the horses you want to be riding on those big days of racing. To have two live chances going for an Oaks and Derby is brilliant.
It’s exciting and these are the horses you want to be riding on those big days of racing. To have two live chances going for an Oaks and Derby is brilliant.
Joseph O'Brien (Thundering On)
Thundering On is training well and I think the Oaks is the right race for her. There's a bit of rain around during the week, which I don't think will inconvenience her or James J Braddock. They've both won their trials so they've earned their spot and I think they're two legitimate contenders.
Thundering On couldn't have done any more than she did at Navan. I'd be hopeful she'd get the trip. Her dam didn't get any further than a mile and a quarter, that was her maximum. But she's by Frankel and Navan is a stiff ten furlongs and she certainly was good at the line there.
Aidan O'Brien (Cameo)
She had a lovely run at the Curragh first time of the year in an older fillies group race over a mile. Wayne (Lordan) loved her and said go up in trip and that nice ground or easy ground wouldn't make a difference to her.
It was quick enough ground in Lingfield, but she won very nicely, travelled well, got the trip well and she is a Wootton Bassett, so most of them do handle dig in the ground.
The ground will obviously be slower than it was at Lingfield but that could help her too. We're very happy with her.
Ralph Beckett (A La Prochaine, K Sarra and On Message)
A La Prochaine got the mile-and-a-half well in the Cheshire Oaks. She's come out of it well and worked well six days before the race (the Oaks) under James Doyle at home.
In make and profile, she would be similar to Look Here (2008 Oaks winner). She's only had two starts as well and got beaten in her trial. In that sense, there are some similarities.
K Sarra is a full sister to Pride Of Arras (Won the Dante and Great Voltigeur), and is perhaps the slowest learner of the three. She ran in the Musidora and went to the gallops morning at Epsom. She would have learnt plenty, and clearly wants the step up to a mile-and-a-half.
On Message has been around Epsom. She won the mile handicap at the April meeting there, and that will count for her. I was very pleased with her in the Height Of Fashion, where she would have won over a mile-and-a-half. So that's great, and I'm looking forward to her for a big syndicate of owners.
Charlie Johnston (Venetian Lace)
I've got no doubt that she's good enough, she's been placed twice at Group 1 level. With her the trip is an unknown, both sides of the pedigree would give you confidence; we're pretty confident she'll stay 10, whether she'll stay 12 or not we'll find out on the day. Aside from that I wouldn't swop her for anything.
She outran her odds in Newmarket and we were quite open in the build-up that we were going there as an Oaks trial; if she finished in the first four or five and hit the line strong, that was going to be the perfect Oaks Trial and that was what she did.
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