Yorkshire Oaks could lead to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for You Got To Me

Irish Oaks heroine on course test credentials against older fillies next month.

Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me is likely to head for the Yorkshire Oaks next month for a run that could determine if connections can begin to dream of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the autumn.

Trained by Ralph Beckett, the Nathaniel filly won the Lingfield Oaks Trial on her seasonal return, which put her in the picture for the Epsom edition of the fillies-only Classic where she ran creditably to finish fourth.

She finished in the same position in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot having raced keenly, but with a tongue-tie applied, she raced much more professionally in her second bite of the Classic cherry, giving her team a day to remember at the Curragh.

With stablemate Bluestocking looking set for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes this weekend, the door is open for You Got To Me to line up at York on August 22, with her entry for Europe’s richest middle-distance contest in Paris on October 6 ready and waiting if she were to thrive on the Knavesmire.

You Got To Me (left) storming to Irish Oaks glory
You Got To Me (left) storming to Irish Oaks glory (Niall Carson/PA)

“I think the logical step is definitely York,” said Alex Elliott, racing adviser to owners Valmont, who jointly own the filly with Newsells Park Stud.

“York seems a very sensible slot and providing she is doing everything right and pleasing Ralph then that is the next target.

“She will be taking on older fillies for the first time and it looks like Emily Upjohn will possibly be going there, but Bluestocking might be running at Ascot this weekend if the ground isn’t too quick.

“She will be having to take on some elders, but I think the track will suit her and as long as there’s some pace in the race and she’s able to relax, which is a key thing for her. She didn’t relax at Lingfield, but her class got her through it and she didn’t relax again in the Ribblesdale.

“I think going to York on a flat track, a mile and a half, and against elders – it is going to tell us exactly where we are at.

“She’s rated 111 now and if that went well then we would probably be looking at the Arc. As a three-year-old filly with all the allowances she would then be a nice fit for the Arc.”

You Got To Me’s Irish Oaks success was a huge moment for Anthony Ramsden of Valmont in the early stages of his ownership journey, enjoying Classic glory for the first time and vindicating a buying policy which has seen this particular 200,000 guineas yearling flourish at three.

“It’s what we’re all in it for and it was a great day from top to bottom,” continued Elliott.

“Anthony Ramsden is Valmont and we buy three-year-old types as yearlings and it takes a lot of patience.

“We only started doing it in 2021 and she was bought in 2022, so it was only the second round of horses we bought and for her to do it so early on is very special.

“It can take a lifetime to win a Classic and a lot of people don’t get to do it, so we’re feeling very blessed to have done it so early.”

It was also a first Classic for jockey Hector Crouch, a major part of both Beckett and Valmont’s operation, and someone who had only ridden at the Curragh for the first time in the preceding Sapphire Stakes.

Juddmonte Irish Oaks Weekend – The Curragh Racecourse – Day One
Jockey Hector Crouch with his Irish Oaks trophy (Niall Carson/PA)

Elliott added: “Hector has been fantastic for us from the get-go.

“Ralph has got a lot of jockeys down there that alternate a lot of the time and can be at different meetings. We wanted consistency so nailed our colours to the mast of Hector and he’s been nothing short of brilliant for us, not only bringing these horses along, but delivering when we need him to.

“It was actually only his second ride at the Curragh, he rode in the race before in the sprint, but it was his first ride on the round track and what a ride he gave her.”

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