Blue Bunting 9/4 Wonder Of Wonders 3/1 Havant 5/1 Misty For Me 7/1 Zain Al Boldan 12/1 Dancing Rain 14/1 Beatrice Aurore 14/1 Izzi Top 20/1 Siren's Song 25/1 Eirnin 50/1 Why 66/1 Blaise Chorus 66/1 Blue Bunting is a worthy favourite and she looked like she would be even better over 12f, when winning the 1000 Guineas. The stable is in form and she is the one they all have to beat. Wonder Of Wonders was under pressure a long way from home in a weak-looking race at Chester. She won easily enough, but I don't rate her at all and I'll be laying her big time. Havant needs soft ground and the only other horse worth mentioning is Misty For Me, who, like Blue Bunting, looked like she needed further when winning the Irish 1000 Guineas. She's sure to run a big race and is an excellent EW bet at around 7/1.
With no realistic prospect of the ground being any softer than good, there are a couple that I would readily rule out. As you say, there may not be enough juice in the ground for Havant, but I think that the same may apply to Izzi Top as the fast ground was trotted out amongst the excuses when she disappointed in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket. Misty For Me ran like a drain in the English 1000 Guineas but then won her home Classic. I am prepared to forgive her Newmarket effort as many of the Ballydoyle brigade seem to have needed a race this season. The market suggests that Wonder Of Wonders is the chief danger to Blue Bunting but I cannot get enthusiastic about either of them. I share your pessimistic view of the Chester form but I am equally uninspired by the Guineas form. I felt that the third Maqaasid was a non-stayer and she ran no sort of race in the Poule D’Essai des Pouliches from a poor draw. Frankie coming up the stands’ side rail won Blue Bunting the Newmarket race as that appeared to be a fast strip of ground. She looks like a stayer but it is a while since the Guineas-Oaks double was completed.
Blue Bunting only ran in the Guineas because White Moonstone was injured so that was clearly a massive bonus. She rocketed home up hill in the Guineas so can only see her being better over further! Misty For Me would be my pick of the AOB runners. Improved for her run at Newmarket, she looked to have more to give when coming late to collar Together in the Irish 1000 and can't see her being far away. Havant is another who was said want further than the Guineas trip and talk through the winter was more of her being an Oaks horse than Guineas so I wouldn't discard her either and add trial winners Wonder of Wonders & Zain Al Boldan at 12/1, unlike the Derby, I think this isn't a bad renewal at all! Blue Bunting if 100% for me!
I was mighty impressed with Zain Al Boldan at Lingfield, and I believe she could be worth a punt at 12/1, I know Mick Channon isn't realy a trainer you would follow in classics, but this fillie has just got better with every run, and the further the distance the more she's improved, so I can see her being the winner! I'd agre with those who believe Blue Bunting won the oaks because of Frankie going up the rails, as I'm not so sure she would have got there challenging through the middle. She may well win but she's a little to skinny, so Zain Al Boldan for me
I'm not a big fan of milers doing an extra 4 furlongs... Just too much of an unknown territory. At the moment the one that takes my fancy is same as Shergar Zain Al Boldan. My initial fancy for the Derby is Carlton House. I don't think CH will get beat if fit. There is value with Treasure Beach @ 25/1 ew. Will give my final selections closer to time and hell a lot more studying. lol
I'm inclined to go along with Shergar on this one. Zain Al Boldan has won impressively on the two tracks that most resemble Epsom so she is certain to appreciate the course. She's unbeaten and should appreciate the step up in trip. The negative is that her sire Poliglote has not produced anything anywhere near classic standard. On a sentimental note, the couple that owned our stud prior to us did use Poliglote and produced a nice little foal called Liverpool Echo, but after amassing £21k on the flat turned to NH and earned over £90k. Also when we showed afghans two of the lovliest bitches we bred were both called Karla (pronounced the same as Zain Al Boldan's dam, Carla). So there you have it, inside information of the highest value. I hope she wins, but I certainly wouldn't pick her on pedigree.
A lot of people seem to fancy Zain Al Boldan and I really don't understand why. Mick Channon is no fool and if he thought she had the potential to win a classic or even a group race, she wouldn't have made her 2yo debut in a weak Brighton maiden (17-2) and she certainly wouldn't have made her seasonal debut in bad race at Folkestone (85-40). She may have looked like a potential superstar at Lingfield, but that was also a very poor race. I would love to be an on-course bookmaker at Epsom tomorrow, as there is sure to be a lot of money for ZAB and she has absolutely no chance of winning.
Whilst the Lingfield Oaks Trial did not look like a good renewal this season, it has thrown up plenty of Oaks winners in the last twenty years and it is run on a course that is as topographically similar to Epsom as you are likely to find. I am not sure why it is “no relevance to the Oaks at all”.
I've backed Zain Al Bolden to moderate stakes as she is the only one that has showed me something special. And where would the romance in horse racing be if every classic were won by horses bred in the purple and who only contested Group races on the way to classic victory? As for Oaks winners starting at a lowly level, look no further than last years winner Snow Fairy who broke her duck in a class 5 maiden auction stakes on the all weather at Lingfield. 3 years ago Look Here won a class 4 at Sailsbury prior to taking the lingfield Oaks trial and moving on to Epsom glory.
I think its a simple enough race, I have it between the two class acts on paper and the two who have shown the best form - Blue Bunting - Daughter of Dynaformer (sire of such horses as Barbaro, Americain, Film Maker) - Won Guineas over a trip that looked too short, going away at the finish and looked every bit an Oaks horse that day. Misty For Me - Daughter of the great Galileo out of an unraced half sister of Fasilyev - Won Irish Guineas and is bred to appreciate this sort of stamina trip. Has to find a good deal on English Guineas form but if you draw a line through that you would say she was a leading contender. I just think that Blue Bunting looked like an Oaks winner in waiting at HQ and I want her to become another dual classic winning filly and dare I say perhaps a triple crown filly?
The triple crown would be a huge task for a fillie, I'm sure you will all agree Snow Fairy was an above average Oaks winner, and she was well beaten in the Leger! I'm sure Blue Bunting will have a go at the Leger if she's succesful tommorow, but she's going to have to be something special, a fillie right up there with the best we've seen to do the triple crown
Blue Bunting for me, Guineas form looks rock solid and with her appreciating the step up in trip and with the marvelous Italian on top a must for win bets.
