Emily Upjohn in the mix for Coronation Cup return

High-class filly was narrowly beaten in the Oaks at Epsom last year.

Emily Upjohn could make her seasonal reappearance in the Coronation Cup on Friday week.

The daughter of Sea The Stars won three of her first four starts for John and Thady Gosden, including the Musidora Stakes at York, before being beaten a short head by Tuesday in the Oaks.

She subsequently failed to fire in the King George at Ascot, but bounced back to form to secure Group One honours on Champions Day in October – and having missed out on a potential trip to Dubai earlier in the year, she looks set to make her first start since those heroics on the Surrey Downs.

Speaking after putting his Derby hopefuls Arrest and Running Lion through their paces at Epsom on Monday morning, John Gosden said: “We’ll leave Emily Upjohn in the Coronation Cup and she worked nicely over the weekend. Obviously she was just a short head shy in the Oaks last year, she’s in good form and we’ll definitely leave her in that race.

“We had a look at Dubai and it was too soon for her. We had this February and it was sort of spring like, it fooled all of us and the fillies and then along came a cold and wet March and April and a lot of the fillies just went back into themselves.

“A lot of the colts did similar and then we’ve had a lot of testing and heavy ground, so I think it’s been a bit of a muddling first part of the season with a combination of the two. To that extent she was very much taking her time, but she seems to be coming to herself now.

“I think it will be a good race, it looks like Westover will be there so it will be a really solid race. The Japanese aren’t bringing that world champion (Equinox) as the track is a little complicated for him I’d say, but he put up some performance in Dubai.”

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