Betfred 'The Bonus King' Oaks Trial Stakes (Fillies' Listed)
Only 2008 runner-up Look Here has gone on from this race to win the Oaks in recent years but Midday came close to doing the double a year later and VOW must have solid claims of doing just that on June 1. Johnny Murtagh sat just off the lead on William Haggas' Motivator filly as Estrela took them along and was always travelling comfortably on the leader's outside. Rounding the home turn only the front two were travelling with any fluency and Vow took it up early in the straight despite racing wide. Once she hit the front she wandered around and might've thrown the contest away were it not for her clear superiority. In the end she was three-and-a-quarter lengths ahead at the line from the running-on Colima. If her greenness can be ironed out by Oaks day she is a major player and Ladbrokes were out on their own with a huge quote of 14-1 for Epsom. Coral went as short as 5-1 with most bookmakers around the 6-1 mark. That's much more reflective of the chances of this smart half-sister to Beaten Up and Harris Tweed. It's hard to see any of the field reversing this form on Oaks day, though it should be noted that Colima ran on well for Ralph Beckett who of course was the trainer of the aformentioned Look Here.
Betfred Derby Trial Stakes (Group 3)
You have to go back to 1998 and High-Rise to find the last winner of the Lingfield Derby Trial who triumped in the main event at Epsom and MAIN SEQUENCE is the latest charged with improving its strike-rate. It might pay not to rule him out of calculations for the big one as he's a smart colt clearly on the upgrade who is now unbeaten in four career runs. Settled in the rear by Ted Durcan, the son of Aldebaran was always travelling nicely and cut through the field with ease into the straight as he made his move up the inside. Shantaram had also travelled into the contest well just behind the leaders but the winner swept by John Gosden's horse before the pair battled it out inside the final furlong. To his credit, Shantaram battled on well but he was never going to reclaim the advantage with Main Sequence winning a shade cosily, the pair separated by less than a length but six lengths clear of the rest at the line. Quotes of 25-1 for the Derby about the winner are fair looking at the Epsom picture at present, though of course, the usually-informative Leopardstown Derby Trial and Dante Stakes have yet to be run.
