Ryan Moore could face another selection headache for Friday's Betfred Oaks as the Aidan O'Brien-trained pair Precise and Amelia Earhart head the market. Coral have both fillies at 5-2 favourite for the Classic, which carries a total prize fund of £625,000.
Selection dilemma for Ballydoyle's number one
The bookmakers cannot agree on which of the two O'Brien-trained fillies should start as favourite among the 12 runners that stood their ground at the forfeit stage. Their presence at Epsom would place Ballydoyle's No.1 jockey on the horns of yet another dilemma.
“We’ll try and work it out - Ryan understands better than anybody,” said O’Brien, who could also field Cameo, Beautify and Sugar Island in the race.
Moore's recent rides on Precise and True Love
Moore rode top two-year-old Precise in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, but saw Wayne Lordan score on O’Brien’s True Love. He then sided with True Love in the Irish equivalent last Sunday, as Precise and Lordan stormed to victory at the Curragh.
However, Moore might be spared the choice: O’Brien has yet to decide whether Precise, who shares 5-2 favouritism with Amelia Earhart, will make a quick return to the Classic.
“She seems good so far, but we haven’t decided to go there yet,” added the trainer. “We left her in but it will be a few days before we decide what to do. It was always possible that she could go there but she only ran last weekend and we just want to see how she is.”
Home challenger Legacy Link
The shortest-priced home runner is the John and Thady Gosden-trained Legacy Link, who became a contender when winning the Musidora Stakes at York earlier this month.
“With both left in the race at the latest entry stage, we're still unable to split Amelia Earhart and Precise at the head of our Oaks betting,” said Coral spokesman David Stevens. “And we may not see a clear favourite until Ryan Moore makes his choice of big race mount on Wednesday.”
