Best bets for the horse racing Friday 31st May 2024 - Oaks Day

The fillies and older horses take centre stage on Friday with the Betfred Oaks very much the race of the day with the Coronation Cup for the older horses also on the card at Epsom. I have dealt with the Oaks on the Classics page.

Best bets for the horse racing at Epsom

Emily Upjohn looks to follow-up on her victory last year in the Group One 1m4f Coronation Cup at 3.10. The five-year-old was an impressive winner of the race last year under Frankie Dettori and will be partnered this time by Kieran Shoemark. She is top-rated and gets the filly allowance so her chance is there for all to see and this is arguably easier than the G.1 Dubai Sheema Classic in which she was fifth on her seasonal reappearance. Luxembourg is Aidan O'Brien's sole representative but he has simply not quite seemed as good this season and looks up against it to me. The word soft in the going description will have cheered the connections of Hamish but he is yet to win at the top level and this is no G.3! Time Lock is a decent mare, I have tipped her in the past, but this is too hot a race for her surely. French raider Feed The Flame interests me at the prices as he has proved he can handle softer going. The Pascal Bary-trained four-year-old clearly needed his seasonal bow in the 1m2f Prix d’Harcourt, and then did best of the held-up runners in the G.1 1m2f Prix Ganay when beaten half-a-length in third coming widest of all up the straight. He won the G.1 1m4f Grand Prix de Paris last year despite trouble in running with Irish Derby runner-up Adelaide River and Oaks winner Soul Sister behind that day. Eighth in the Arc last back end where he traveled well for a long way before being left in the wake of Ace Impact along with the rest of the field. Pacal Bary won’t have sent him over just for a day out and is worth a punt at 16-5 early to upset the short-priced jolly.

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