Legacy Link primed to create her own lasting impression

Legacy Link has the chance to justify the high expectations she has carried since birth when she lines up in the Betfred Oaks at Epsom on Friday.

As a daughter of a full-sister to horse of the century Frankel, the three-year-old was bred along the most vivid purple lines owners Juddmonte could plan – and naming her Legacy Link hardly lowered the bar at all.

But the John and Thady Gosden-trained filly can not only meet those expectations but start a legacy of her own should she be successful in the second fillies’ Classic of the season.

Gosden senior said: “There’s no more pressure that the dam is a sister of Frankel. The pedigree is very important, of course it is, but you try to train them in a normal fashion. You don’t try to reinvent the wheel, that’s for sure.”

Having won a Haydock novice on her second start, the daughter of Dubawi rounded off her juvenile campaign with a fourth-place finish in what now looks a deep edition of the Fillies’ Mile.

But it was her comeback success in the Musidora Stakes at York which really cemented her status as a major Oaks contender and she will head to the Surrey Downs as seemingly the biggest danger to likely favourite Amelia Earhart, who bids to provide Aidan O’Brien with a 12th victory in the race.

“She’s a Musidora winner and she won that well. She showed a good attitude and the extra distance seemed to suit her,” Gosden added.

“While they started the race a little early that day – Colin (Keane) said they started racing from a long way out – she finished well and we’ve been pleased with her since.”

Seven of O’Brien’s 11 Oaks triumphs have been achieved in the last 11 years and Amelia Earhart certainly looked to have to have every chance of adding her name to the roll of honour when landing the Cheshire Oaks last month, albeit doing so in the unusual combination of blinkers and a hood.

“She travels well and she’s by Camelot, so you’d hope she’ll handle an ease in the ground,” said O’Brien.

“We were delighted with her at Chester and she should get the trip well. Everything has gone right since the last day, she’s in good form and we’ve left the headgear on her.

“We’re looking forward to seeing her again.”

In the familiar belt and braces Ballydoyle approach, Amelia Earhart will be joined by teammates Cameo, a runaway winner of the Oaks Trial at Lingfield on fast ground, and Sugar Island, over five lengths behind her stablemate at Chester.

Of Cameo, the trainer added: “She had a lovely run at the Curragh for her first run of the year, finishing fifth in a fillies’ Group race over a mile and Wayne (Lordan) loved her. He said we should go up in trip and while it was quick enough ground in Lingfield, she won very nicely and got the trip well.

“She is by Wootton Bassett and most of them do handle an ease in the ground. You couldn’t be happier with her really.”

Joseph O’Brien’s Thundering On brings plausible credentials to the table after a clear-cut success in the Salsabil Stakes over a mile and a quarter at Navan, for all that her trainer admits there is a slight query over her stamina for this mile-and-a-half trip.

“It is all very positive and she’s a really nice filly. She won her trial easy in Navan although the distance would be a slight question mark for her, her dam got 10 furlongs, but she didn’t get further,” O’Brien said earlier this week.

“She is by Frankel and she relaxes pretty well though and Navan is a stiff 10 furlongs and she got to the line strongly, so we are excited.”

Charlie Johnston is another who raises an amber flag over a step up in trip despite feeling that his 1000 Guineas third Venetian Lace ticks plenty of boxes.

“We couldn’t really understand why we were 33-1 (in the Guineas), but she outran her odds and we were quite open in the build-up that we were going there as an Oaks trial” said the Middleham-based trainer.

“We said if she finished in the first four or five in Newmarket and hit the line strong that was going to be the perfect Oaks trial and that’s exactly what she did.

“For me the trip is a small question mark, but other than that I wouldn’t swap her for anything.”

Ralph Beckett has twice enjoyed success in the Oaks, having saddled the winner Look Here in 2008 and Talent in 2013, and he goes into this year’s contest with three arrows in his Kimpton Down quiver.

The Wathnan Racing-owned A La Prochaine, who finished third to Amelia Earhart at Chester, is joined by Musidora third K Sarra and On Message, third in the Height Of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood.

“A La Prochaine took the preliminaries better than expected at Chester. She’s an unknown quantity still and anything might happen,” said Beckett.

“It would not surprise me if she’s in the first three, but at the same time it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s in the last three and that has happened to me before.

“When they are as lightly raced as A La Prochaine, they have to be classed as an unknown quantity and you never know just how good they could become.”