3rd Jun 2016 | Horse Racing
Epsom Oaks Tips: Harlequeen
Minding has to prove stamina and beyond the favourite, there is little strength in depth. Harlequeen was fourth at York and handles soft ground.
The 2016 renewal of the Oaks looks an unsatisfactory affair. Beyond the favourite there is a dearth of (top class) talent and the prospect of soft ground complicates things further.
What we do know is that Minding is the best horse in the field. She was a wide margin winner of the 1000 Guineas and was a head second in the Irish version. The problem is do you want to back a classy miler over 1m4f in soft ground at even money?
That is not an enticing prospect and therefore we have to look elsewhere.
On pace adjusted speed ratings only Skiffle and Harlequeen have topped 90 and the second mentioned is a big price.
Harlequeen only has a maiden win to her name but she finished fourth in the Musidora, the strongest Oaks trial of the season. So Mi Dar would be tough to beat but she is absent through lameness and that opens up the race.
Harlequeen struggled for speed when the pace quickened but she stuck to her task gamely and was catching everyone bar the winner at the finish. She clocked the second fastest closing sectional and would have been second in another 100 yards.
A step up to 1m4f is in her favour as is the soft ground. She won her maiden on soft ground at Goodwood and handles an undulating track. If Minding fails to fire, Harlequeen could spring a surprise at 20/1 (Bet365).
Odds correct at time of publishing: 06:48 3rd Jun, 2016 but subject to change
