Love leads Oaks contenders

Horse Racing

Love, winner of the 1000 Guineas, heads 11 entries for the Investec Oaks at Epsom on Saturday.

The daughter of Galileo has headed the ante-post market since her impressive victory by four and a quarter lengths over the Rowley Mile.

Love bids to become the first filly since Minding in 2016 to win both Classics. She is one of four possibles from the Aidan O’Brien stable as the Ballydoyle handler goes for a seventh Oaks success.

O’Brien’s other fillies in the mix are the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Peaceful, Ennistymon and Passion, who were second and third respectively in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Ascot.

Love’s main market rival is the Ribblesdale winner Frankly Darling, trained by John Gosden.

The Frankel filly has no stamina concerns after she took that Group Two contest over a mile and a half in good style.

Tiempo Vuela is a second entry from the Gosden stable.

Gosden and O’Brien have dominated the last six runnings of Epsom’s fillies’ Classic, with three wins each.

Roger Varian is two-handed at this stage, with Gold Wand and Queen Daenerys, while the 11 is completed by Bharani Star (Peter Chapple-Hyam), Dubai Love (Saeed bin Suroor) and Oriental Mystique (David Simcock).

Aidan O'Brien Epsom Investec Oaks

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