Gosden Looks to Miss Yoda for First German Oaks Win
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
John Gosden will be represented by Miss Yoda at Dusseldorf
Frankie Dettori jets off to Germany Aug. 2 in his bid for a first win in the Henkel-Preis der Diana-German Oaks (G1) at Dusseldorf, and connections of Miss Yoda, owned by Georg von Opel, the billionaire great-grandson of the founder of the German car manufacturer of the same name, are hoping she motors home.
Trained by John Gosden, who has yet to win the £423,729 group 1, Miss Yoda landed the Betsafe Top Price All Runners Oaks Trial at Lingfield before finishing sixth and fourth in the Ribblesdale Stakes (G2) and Bahrain Trophy (G3), respectively.
The daughter of Sea The Stars is the first horse to have won for von Opel, whose great-grandfather Adam established the family's automobile business in 1862.
The owner's racing manager, Jamie McCalmont, said: "She traveled over fine, and everyone is happy. It looks an open race, and it has actually been on our agenda since the beginning of the year.
"Her first run of the year at Lingfield was the best, and if she can run back to that form, she should be competitive."
Madden Partners Harrington Hopeful
While Dettori is no stranger to big-race rides, it is a day in the spotlight for 23-year-old Tom "Socks" Madden, who partners the Jessica Harrington raider Silence Please.
Madden, whose older brother Niall—nicknamed "Slippers"—won the 2006 Grand National on Numbersixvalverde, will have to quarantine for 14 days when returning home to Ireland because of the coronavirus restrictions but will not mind that if he is successful on the daughter of Gleneagles, who gave him his biggest victory in the listed Irish Stallion Farms E.B.F. Salsabil Stakes at Navan.
"She's our first runner in Germany," Harrington said. "She's traveled over well and seems to be in good form. Her form is good when you look at how (stablemate) One Voice ran at Goodwood during the week, and she was obviously beaten by the Irish Oaks (G1) winner (Even So) last time, too. Tom is looking forward to riding her. He's won on her twice before and knows her well."