Qualify Stuns in Epsom Oaks Triumph

Longshot Qualify wore down favorite Legatissimo in the final strides and won the Investec Epsom Oaks (Eng-I) by a short head June 5 at Epsom Downs.

 

One of three runners trained by Aidan O'Brien, the Fastnet Rock filly was pegged at 50-1 odds. She was well back in the straight but when Colm O'Donoghue urged the best from his mount, she lengthened stride and closed with a fantastic turn of foot to deny 5-2 favorite Legatissimo, who looked en route to victory from a furlong out. 

 

Qualify won for the third time in 10 career starts and first time in four starts since capturing the C. L. and M. F. Weld Park Stakes (Ire-III) last September at the Curragh. After closing last season unplaced behind Lady Eli in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT), she was a well-beaten 10th in the Tattersalls Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) May 24 at the Curragh in her 2015 bow and then last of 13 in the English equivalent May 3 at Newmarket.

 

Stretching out to 1 1/2 miles Friday, Qualify looked to relish the added distance, finishing in 2:37.41 on turf rated as good. O'Brien enjoyed his fifth Oaks win and O'Donoghue his first in an English classic. 

 

Legatissimo, the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) winner, was vying to become the 48th filly to complete the English Guineas/Epsom Oaks double and first since Kazzia in 2002. She was well clear of Lady of Dubai (7-1), who was 2 1/2 lengths back in third.

 

Qualify's stablemates Diamondsandrubies (14-1), a six-length winner of the Cheshire Oaks May 6, and 2014 Dubai Fillies Mile (Eng-I) winner Together Forever (9-1) finished fourth and seventh, respectively.

 

"I'm not surprised," O'Donoghue told the Irish Times about Qualify's upset. "She's always shown a lot of pace and is a well-balanced filly.

 

"Because she shows so much pace we were unsure if she'd get the trip, but she saw it out really strong. I just wanted to keep her on an even keel and not interfere, she came home strong."

 

Qualify is owned by Mrs. Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, who privately acquired the filly prior to the Breeders' Cup. She was bred in Ireland by O'Brien's Whisperview Trading Ltd. Her dam is 2008 Park Hill (Ire-II) runner-up Perihelion, a daughter of Galileo out of a winning half sister to European highweight and 1996 Park Hill winner Eva Luna, who is the dam of Brian Boru, Sea Moon, and unraced Soviet Moon, the dam of European champion 3-year-old and 2010 Epsom Derby (Eng-I) winner Workforce.

 

Leading Australian sire Fastnet Rock shuttled to Coolmore Stud in Ireland for four seasons from 2010-14, but remained at the farm's Australian base during this year's Northern Hemisphere season.