2021 Epsom Oaks News - Quotes from connections of Friday's Classic runners
- We bring you the key quotes from the connections of this year's Epsom Oaks runners
- The Epsom Oaks takes place at Epsom on Friday 4th June
- 14 fillies were confirmed in the final field
- We have quotes from Aidan O'Brien, Roger Varian and Mark Johnston
Aidan O'Brien talks through his runners in the 2021 Oaks. (Getty)
The countdown is well and truly on for the 2021 Epsom Oaks, which will take place at 4:30pm on Friday afternoon. To help you try and decide who to back, here are the latest quotes from connections of the confirmed runners in Friday's Oaks.
2021 Epsom Oaks Key Quotes
Santa Barbara2021 Epsom Oaks FavouriteGET 5/2 HERE
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Aidan O'Brien discussing his Oaks team
Santa Barbara (5/2 William Hill)
"Santa Barbara is very well and the Oaks was always pencilled in to be her second run of the year. We were delighted with her first run in the Guineas, it was a big ask. For us, she passed the test we put in front of her with flying colours."
"We were delighted she ran such a big race and showed what she can do. I suppose the ground was quick there and that makes it a little bit more tricky for a horse with not a lot of experience going down into that Dip. We were delighted with the way she travelled as she showed the class she shows us at home."
"Obviously, we were always going to go into the Oaks not knowing whether she is going to stay a mile and a half but she's by Camelot and we know she has a lot of class. We're excited and looking forward to seeing her run. You would imagine there would be normal, natural improvement from the Guineas and she hasn't shown anything in her work to suggest otherwise."
Snowfall (9/2 Betfair)
"She's good and we always thought the world of her last year, that's why we aimed her at so many good races. She might just have been a bit weak. She's bred to be a classy filly and one who could get the trip. She's got stronger and she's always worked well at home."
*Quotes above taken from the Racing Post*
Divinely (11/1 William Hill)
“Divinely we always liked her loads, she’s a sister to Found. Ryan (Moore) was delighted with her at Lingfield. He said it was a very slowly run race."
“Her work has been really good since, all her figures coming out from her work have been brilliant which is a really good sign.”
*Quotes taken from The Sun*
Roger Varian talks about his trio of Epsom Oaks runners with Racing TV
Zeyaadah (11/2 bet365)
“I was delighted with her (at Chester) – I thought it was a very good run and the visual impression was very good,”
“She was a shade unlucky. Take nothing away from the winner, but I think you could make a case for Zeyaadah winning that day if she could have got running a little bit earlier in the straight.
“Jim (Crowley) was buzzing about her when he got off her - he got a mighty feel in defeat."
"She's not guaranteed to stay on pedigree, but the middle distance line in the family should give her a chance and her running style should give her a chance. She won the Montrose in the style of a filly who stay a mile and a half as a three-year-old and she's a relaxed and good moving filly. I'd be hopeful over the trip."
Teona (6/1 BetFred)
"There's definitely a bit in the locker - not necessarily by design, but she took an age to come to herself in that cold spring and in another 10 days I would have had her spot on for Chester. I think that there’s a good deal of improvement there."
"We take the positives out of the Musidora run. These are trials at the end of the day, and if you’re going to get things wrong it’s better to do it in the trial than on the big day."
“She’s a big, strong, energetic filly who had a lot of fizz on the day at York. She got a little upset in the starting gate and over-raced a little bit off that very steady gallop."
“She made a nice move in the straight and then probably got tired in the last 100 yards. I thought there were a lot of positives to take from the race and she’s trained very well since."
“Of course the Oaks presents a different sort of challenge, (but) I think she’s extremely talented and I hope that on the day she won’t make the sort of juvenile mistakes she made at York.”
Save A Forest (50/1 Betfair)
“She’s great. She’s a filly who has taken a giant step forward after start of her career and I would anticipate another good step forward from Lingfield,”
“Her run at Lingfield was very good. I thought she was going to win most of the way up the straight and I think she just hit one of the ridges wrong about a furlong from home, which just threw her off stride and perhaps stopped her winning."
“She’s an interesting filly. She’s very laid back at home and doesn’t give us any clues in her home work, but I love animals who with each run take a step forward and the exciting thing with her is you don’t know when she’s going to reach her ceiling."
“However she runs in the Oaks, I’d be almost guaranteeing it will be a good deal better than her run at Lingfield because that’s the pattern of her progress."
“I’m very happy with her condition and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see her run a nice race.”
*Quotes above taken from RacingTV*
Jane Chapple-Hyam talks to the Racing Post
Saffron Beach (11/1 BetFred)
"She's going for the Oaks. We are all getting excited for next week, let's go and do our best,"
"It was the first time she's ever travelled beyond Newmarket. There was an accident on the M25 and she had to stand in her box for 45 minutes, so that was good practice for travelling!
"It was a good experience and she took it in well. Adam was pleased with the way she handled Tattenham Corner and the straight. She was nice and balanced.
"The ground was a bit heavy today, so we just did a strong canter. She handles any ground, so it should be no issue whatever it is next week."
Racing Post catches up with Mark Johnston
Dubai Fountain (12/1 William Hill)
"We've been saying throughout last year we felt she was an Oaks filly rather than a Guineas filly. Franny [Norton] felt it wasn't her best performance, but it was good enough for me."
"She failed to win at Group level last year but ran some good races. She finished just behind the Guineas winner over a mile, screaming out for further, so it's got to be the next step."
Owner Nick Bradley confirming Mystery Angel has been supplemented into the Oaks
Mystery Angel (28/1 William Hill)
"I left it to George for the most part, but we did go through the field and came to the conclusion that she is firmly in the middle of the pack in terms of chances.
"It was the form she was in at home that spurred the decision. George thinks she'll run a big race and that she'll like the track. She's a very professional filly who should like the ground."
"She has plenty of experience, which should be a real help at Epsom. There's only one Oaks and so we thought we had to give it a go. We go there with a nice each-way chance."
*Quotes above taken from the Racing Post*
Hollie Doyle talks about her Oaks ride with the Yorkshire Post
Sherbet Lemon (33/1 Betfred)
“It’s great to get the ride. That was the aim at the start of the year to continue to ride plenty of winners but, at the same time, to try and get some good rides in good races.”
“It would be the biggest winner of my career, I suppose, to win a Classic. It would be amazing and definitely the next step up."
“I won first time out on her at Newcastle and though I’ve not sat on her on the racetrack since, I do most of the work at home on her so I know her really well. I couldn’t ride her when she won the trial that day at Lingfield but I was delighted for the whole team that she got the job done that day. I’ve galloped her since and she has really improved.”
“Whether she will be able to dictate like she did around Lingfield that day around Epsom I’m not so sure but we will see,” she continued. “I do feel she wants a bit of cut in the ground so, if it dries out a lot, it would probably be a bit inconvenient.”
*Quotes above taken from Yorkshire Post*
Hugo Palmer talks to Sky Sports about Ocean Road
"We're all systems go for Epsom on Friday. Oisin sat on her this morning and did a little bit of stalls work with her."
"She was too slowly away at Lingfield and ended up sitting last, it was all a bit of a mess on ground that was too soft for her."
*Quotes above taken from Sky Sports*
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