Racing

3 of the best Epsom Oaks winners

The Epsom Oaks is fast approaching and on Friday June 4th, a new queen of the flat will be crowned. The Oaks has been won by several top-class fillies over the years and, in preparation for this year’s renewal, we’re turning back the clock to take a look at the three best Epsom Oaks winners since 2010.

Three of the best Epsom Oaks winners since 2010

Enable (2017)

Enable arrived at Epsom in June 2017 unbeaten in her three starts but was sent off the 6/1 second favourite for the Oaks behind the Aidan O’Brien trained Rhododendron.

In torrential rain, the race developed into a battle up the straight between the duo and it was the John Gosden trained Enable who ran out a five-length winner under a power-packed Frankie Dettori ride.

The next month, Enable landed the Irish Oaks before taking victory at the King George at Ascot, the Yorkshire Oaks at York, and finally winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly in October – announcing herself as a true racing superstar.

Another Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was to follow in 2018 plus success at the Breeders Cup and Enable was finally retired in 2020 with 12 career victories and having banked over £10 million in prize money.

Taghrooda (2014)

Another filly trained by John Gosden, Taghrooda won her first two races – including the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket – to cement her place as a real Epsom Oaks contender. She was sent off the 5/1 third favourite at Epsom but put in a blistering display to run out a three and three-quarter lengths winner under jockey Paul Hanagan.

Hanagan was quoted after the race as saying that the race “went like clockwork. I’d been planning it like that for about a month in my head”.

Taghrooda would race just three more times in her career – winning the King George at Ascot before placing 2nd in the Yorkshire Oaks. Her final race was in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, where she was sent off favourite but could only finish 3rd behind Treve. Following her 3rd place in the Arc, it was announced she was to be retired from racing to become a broodmare.

Snow Fairy (2010)

Snow Fairy was kept busy as a two-year-old, racing six times but only managing to record just the one victory on the all-weather at Lingfield. Her three-year-old career started in far better fashion, as Snow Fairy landed a Listed event at Goodwood in fine style by three lengths.

Connections felt she had improved over the winter and took the gamble to supplement her for the Epsom Oaks at a cost of £20,000. Their gamble paid off as Snow Fairy landed the Oaks at 12/1 in a thrilling finish under Ryan Moore – edging out Remember When by just a neck.

She followed up her Epsom success with victory in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh, before finishing 2nd in the Yorkshire Oaks and 4th in the St Leger at Doncaster. She then racked up the air miles with success in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Japan and the Hong Kong Cup, seeing her end 2010 as the champion three-year-old filly.

2011 saw Snow Angel kept in training and she defended her Queen Elizabeth II Cup crown before being retired in the summer of 2012 with a tendon injury following success in the Irish Champion Stakes.