Amelia Earhart Flying High at the Head of Epsom Oaks Market
Wednesday saw the final field confirmed for the second fillies’ Classic of the 2026 season, with nine runners set to line up in the Epsom Oaks.
The most notable absentee from the field is the Aidan O’Brien-trained Precise. Brilliant in the Irish Oaks, the daughter of Starspangledbanner would have stepped into the unknown if tackling 1m4f for the first time. With the rain in the area set to place the emphasis firmly upon stamina, connections have decided that it may be a step too far.
No Precise, but we still have an intriguing cast of fillies setting out in pursuit of the £625,000 in prize money. Aidan O’Brien and Ralph Beckett lead the way with three runners apiece, with John and Thady Gosden, Joseph O’Brien, and Charlie Johnston also represented.
A Round Dozen for Aidan O’Brien?
Such is his record in the British Classics that it is a little surprising to learn that Aidan O’Brien is not the most successful trainer in the history of the Oaks. However, he isn’t too far off. Winning the race for the first time with Shatoush in 1998, O’Brien won an 11th Oaks with Minnie Hauk in 2025. That tally places him only two behind all-time leader Robert Robson.
Aidan O’Brien’s Epsom Oaks Winners
| Year | Oaks Winner | Jockey |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Minnie Hauk | Ryan Moore |
| 2022 | Tuesday | Ryan Moore |
| 2021 | Snowfall | Frankie Dettori |
| 2020 | Love | Ryan Moore |
| 2018 | Forever Together | Donnacha O’Brien |
| 2016 | Minding | Ryan Moore |
| 2015 | Qualify | Colm O’Donoghue |
| 2012 | Was | Seamie Heffernan |
| 2006 | Alexandrova | Kieren Fallon |
| 2001 | Imagine | Michael Kinane |
| 1998 | Shahtoush | Michael Kinane |
If O’Brien is to take a step closer to Robson in 2026, the market suggests that Cheshire Oaks heroine Amelia Earhart is the most likely to prevail. This daughter of Camelot didn’t look like a star in her juvenile campaign, with her only win coming in a late-season maiden at Leopardstown.
The fact that she was pitched straight into Listed company on her seasonal return suggested she had shown improvement in her homework, and she backed up that assessment with a cosy two-length success. Minnie Hauk won that Chester contest before her 2025 Oaks triumph and, with Ryan Moore in the saddle, Amelia Earhart is the clear market leader at a general 5/2.
The Ballydoyle second string, Cameo, boasts a similar profile. Ending 2025 with only a maiden win to her name, she booked her place in O’Brien’s Oaks team with a strong-staying success in the Lingfield Oaks Trial. That was quite a taking performance from the daughter of Wootton Bassett, and she may be a popular each-way option at around the 15/2 mark. Sugar Island completes the Aidan O’Brien trio but will need to improve on her fourth-place finish behind Amelia Earhart in the Cheshire Oaks.
A La Prochaine to Wave Goodbye to Rivals
Kimpton handler Ralph Beckett can’t match the record of Aidan O’Brien, but he does know what it takes to come home in front. Successful with Look Here (2008) and Talent (2013), Beckett sends three in pursuit of a third Oaks triumph.
The shortest price of the Beckett trio, A La Prochaine, will attempt to pull off the rare feat of winning the Oaks on just her third career start. Raced only once as a juvenile, she scored with the minimum of fuss at Newbury. Stepped up in class and trip in the Cheshire Oaks on her seasonal return, she couldn’t match Amelia Earhart but stayed on well for third in the straight. This unexposed filly will need to improve again, but could go well for Wathnan Racing.
With only one more start under her belt than A La Prochaine, K Sarra arrives on the back of a similar performance to her stablemate in the Musidora Stakes. Outpaced in the middle stages of the race, she stayed on powerfully in the straight to take third in that 1m2½f Group 3 affair. With plenty of stamina in her pedigree, this step up to 1m4f may squeeze out more. Sharing a sire with Amelia Earhart, On Message rounds out the Beckett threesome, having also finished third in her trial, in her case, the Height Of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood.
Frankel’s Niece to Strike for Gosden’s
One of the most appealing pedigrees in the race belongs to the John and Thady Gosden-trained Legacy Link. Her sire, Dubawi, produced the 2021 Oaks winner Ezaliya, while her dam, Chiasma, is a full sister to all-time great Frankel.
In contrast to her brother, Chiasma scored at no higher than Class 5 level during her racing career. Legacy Link has already shown a significantly higher level of ability. Catching the eye when fourth in the Fillies’ Mile on her final start at two, she stepped forward from that effort to assert late in the Musidora Stakes in May. The most recent Gosden-trained winners of the Musidora Stakes, Emily Upjohn and Soul Sister, finished second and first in the Oaks, and this Juddmonte filly may be capable of a similar effort.
Legacy Link wins the G3 @Tattersalls1766 Musidora Stakes! pic.twitter.com/ppRdHWHxTf
— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) May 13, 2026
Joseph O’Brien’s Salsabil Stakes winner, Thundering On, and Charlie Johnston’s 1,000 Guineas third, Venetian Lace, complete the line-up in what promises to be a cracking contest at Epsom on Friday afternoon.