Group Three Oak Tree Stakes Guide 2021

The 3 year old Vadream currently heads the markets for this contest after a unlucky season of running well in big races without winning.

A outside 50/1 shot for the Fred Darling Stakes on return at Newbury, she chased home Alcohol Free to be 3rd. She’s run well in more group races since, coming 6th in the 1000 Guineas and 3rd in the Jersey Stakes.

She looked to be finally getting her turn to get her head in front when last seen in the Summer Stakes over 6 furlongs but the drop in trip asked too much of her pace and she had to settle for 2nd.

Moving back up to 7 furlongs will suit and she’s run well on slow ground before. She gets weight from all the older horses in the field as a 3 year old and might just finally get her day in the sun.

Another 3 year old filly is Sacred for William Haggas and Tom Marquand. She came 2nd in last season’s Queen Mary Stakes to Campenelle who won this year’s Commonwealth Cup in the steward’s room.

She kept running creditably in 2 year old races last season but failed to notch another win after her debut success.
Returning as a 3 year old at Newmarket, she got back into the winner’s enclosure when snatching the Nell Gwyn Stakes by rattling home late.

Winning a solid 1000 Guineas trial, she tried her hand in the classic but had to settle for a disappointing 7th place.
She’s been rested since and clearly wasn’t quite up to Group 1 level.

Dropping back in class will suit and she’s already won over 7 furlongs this season. She’s in with a live chance to build on her opening seasonal success.

A solid servant for connections over the years, Lavender’s Blue first tasted group success as a 3 year old when winning a Group 3 event at Sandown over a mile.

She failed to add to that win for the entirety of her 4 year old campaign. Being well beaten in the majority of her runs, she did post a cripple of plaid efforts in listed affairs.

Returning as a 5 year old she managed to get her head back in front with a listed win at Kempton over a mile back in early April.

She nearly followed that up in a Group 2 event for fillies and mares over 9 furlongs but couldn’t quite get to the front two home to take 3rd.

She’s been well beaten since. Coming 5th at Royal Ascot and then 8th in the Falmouth Stakes recently at Newmarket. Not of the quality for Group 1 or Group 2 races, this is certainly more her level but a mile is her ideal.

Concerns would be she’s struggled on slow ground before and might be susceptible to younger legs.

Andrew Balding took this filly off of John Feane off the back of a surprise listed win at Naas over 7 furlongs back in August of 2020.

The filly has failed to find her feet over here in the UK and has failed to get her head back in front since that win last year.

Bouncing between a mile and 7 furlongs, she has run well and went agonisingly close over 7 furlongs at Lingfield in a Group 3 race for fillies with Isabella Giles behind in 3rd.

She stayed on admirably and shaped like a return to 1 mile would certainly be more ideal.

She ran well last time out but couldn’t quite live with the boys, coming 3rd behind Top Rank and Century Dream.

Moving back against her own sex means she can certainly have a say.

An Irish raider for Jessica Harrington in Valeria Messalina. The 4 year old has been quite lightly raced and was unlucky not to secure Group 3 honours as a 2 year old, narrowly being beaten by Rose Of Kildare.

She struck in group company last season when winning a Group 3 over 7 furlongs at Cork before running a career best to go down swinging to One Master in this race last year.

She’s failed to replicate form close to that run, being well beaten on her first two starts of the season, she got closer when last seen in a Group 3 at Fairyhouse two weeks ago.

She shaped better in a lower grade but just found one too good.

This course drew out a career best last year and it will be interesting to see if Goodwood brings out the best in her again.

Jason Quinn’s 4 year old won a listed race when last seen at Chelmsford at the start of July.

She had a very busy 3 year old season which ran from June through to December and she began to find her feet in handicap company over 7 furlongs.

After a pipe opening run, she stormed to victory in a low grade affair before taking a huge step forward to win the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Ascot last month off a mark of 92.

The form was franked recently with Danyah winning at Ascot on King George day.

She’s since taken to listed company and has plenty of form over 7 furlongs in the books.

A course and distance winner in the mud last October, Onassis sprung to prominence off the back of an impressive win in the Sandringham Stakes at Last year’s royal meeting.

A trip to France added a listed success to her CV and she managed to cope with a drop in trip to secure a second win in listed company when running here late in the season.

She’s not been in the same form this year. She needed the run on seasonal comeback and lacked the speed to get really competitive over 6 furlongs when last seen.

Moving back up to 7 furlongs will suit and she’s at home in the mud. Worth considering.

A battle hardened 6 year old trained by David O’Meara, Agincourt ran in this race last year but was left for dead by the principles and came home in 10th of the 12 runners.

A graduate from handicaps, she nearly snatched a Group 2 win at Royal Ascot last season but was caught on the line by Nazeef in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.

She nearly won on her comeback after a 274 day lay off at Goodwood over a mile but again was caught at the post.

Last seen at listed level, she was left for dead by Lights on in soft ground and has been shaping like this drop in trip would benefit her.

Connections will be hoping for a better run than last year.

A 3 year old for Clive Cox, Isabella Giles was prolific last season as a juvenile and won four of her six outings.

She notched a course and distance win as a 2 year old when scything through the soft ground to win the Prestige Stakes at Goodwood last summer.

She even notched a Group 2 success before the end of her season but has struggled to get anywhere near those heights this year.

She’s been comfortably beaten on all four starts this year and a drop to 6 furlongs really didn’t suit.

Going back up in trip will benefit her but she looks to be struggling to get competitive as a 3 year old.

Ralph Beckett’s 3 year old Meu Amor sprung to life when winning a listed race for fillies over 7 furlongs recently.

Her form previously had been pretty tame and she’d only won a novice event for 2 year old previous to her most recent success.

Narrowly denied in a listed run on her last start as a juvenile, she performed well in a Group 3 on return, just finishing behind Bounce The Blues and Isabella Giles.

She looked absolutely devastating at Carlisle last month and put the race to bed with a swift turn of foot.

But she’s in deeper waters here and would need to show some improvement to get involved in the finish.

A sprinter for Kevin Ryan, Last Empire has been running between 5 and 6 furlongs for her entire career.

She’s never gone further than 6 furlongs but certainly shaped like she’d be effective over further when coming 2nd in a listed race at Nottingham on return back in early May.

She went off a short priced favourite for her next outing but put in a poor performance as she may have been coming into season.

If she’s 100% fit and ready, she has some smart form in the books as a sprinter and is right at home on slow ground. If she takes to 7 furlongs she can make her presence felt.

This filly has only managed to get 3 runs under her belt so far for George Baker.

Debuting at Lingfield over 5 furlongs on the all weather at the start of the year, she ran creditably for her first outing but left that well behind when winning with utmost ease over 6 furlongs a few weeks later.

She was given a break from racing and came back in June at Newmarket over 7 furlongs to defy her penalty in a novice race.

Giving weight and a beating to a large field was a smart bit of form and the 2nd has boosted the race by winning since.
She’s only rated 89, but has improved at a rate of knots and doesn’t have many miles on the clock.

Improvement could be endless if she can handle slow turf for the first time in her career.

The Gosden training duo bring in Star Of Emaraaty. Yet another 3 year old taking her chances against her elders, this filly managed to notch up two wins last season for Kevin Ryan.

A novice win against other fillies was backed up by a strong display to beat Dubai Fountain in the Solera Stakes at eye-watering odds of 66/1.

She joined the Gosden’s in the spring of this year but has yet to win for her new connections. Well beaten in her first three runs, she looked to be coming back to form when coming 3rd in a handicap at Newmarket recently.

A drop to 7 furlongs looked to have brought her back to life but she’s not been in the best of form this season and others have much more solid claims.

Karl Burke looked to have a really smart prospect on his hands last year with Dandalla as she won her maiden with ease before absolutely obliterating the field in the Albany Stakes.

She added a Group 2 to her record at Newmarket after that and was given a deserved break before being beaten in the Cheveley Park Stakes at the end of the season.

She hasn’t carried on her progression as a 3 year old but wasn’t beaten far on her comeback run in the Fred Darling Stakes behind Alcohol Free.

A solid 4th in the Commonwealth cup saw her stay on well for pressure so she’s well worth another try at 7 furlongs having been outpaced behind Onassis and Vadream on her most recent run at York.

She’s at home on soft and the extra distance could just see her bounce back to form.

Jouska has been a busy 4 year old, having already taken the course 14 times in her career.

A maiden winner as a 2 year old over the minimum trip, she didn’t manage to add to her winning tally until taking a listed race over 6 furlongs on soft ground at Newmarket last year.

This season hasn’t quite fallen right for her either and she’s been beaten comprehensively on all four runs.

She ran in the Group 3 Lingfield race that saw her finish well behind Bounce The Blues, Isabella Giles and Meu Amor.

Based on that form she looks well held behind those at the top of the market.

Another for Ralph Beckett and another 3 year old looking to recapture the form shown as a juvenile.

Lullaby Moon was moving between yards frequently last year before settling with Beckett and she began to flourish when given a more permanent home.

Rounding out the season with a listed and a Group 3 win, she showed plenty of pace to win over 6 and 7 furlongs while also having the strength to power through soft ground.

This season however has seen her record two 11th placed finishes. Well beaten in the French 1000 Guineas, she also struggled to get involved in the Coronation Stakes at Ascot last month.

Dropping significantly in class and slightly in trip will help but she’s not shown that she’s trained on from 2 to 3 years old so far this year.

Yet another runner for Ralph Beckett, Helvezia is the outsider of the field after a lacklustre seasonal comeback.

An emphatic winner of her maiden last year over 7 furlongs, she seemed to relish soft ground at Chepstow to an easy victory.

Rounding out last season coming 3rd to Onassis at Goodwood over this trip, she was weakening towards the finish and wasn’t getting near the winner who re-opposes today.

With her looking relatively well held on that line of form, a poor comeback run in a low grade handicap in late May doesn’t fill you with much confidence she’ll get competitive here.