Aidan O’Brien’s red-hot favourite Ylang Ylang disappointed in the fillies’ Classic as the course did not suit her, but Ezeliya became an impressive winner of the Oaks.
The Aga Khan-owned 13-2 chance was kept handy throughout the mile-and-a-half fillies’ showpiece and was in the middle of the field of 12 as they turned for home.
From there she began to gain ground, moving with real purpose and staying on strongly to take up the lead and see off a challenge from Charlie Appleby’s Dance Sequence – who did not help her jockey in the closing stages – to prevail by three lengths.
David Menuisier’s War Chimes ran a huge race in third at 50-1, but hot favourite Ylang Ylang was disappointing, never really being able to get in a serious blow.
“It’s a very special day. Competition is very keen nowadays and we’re very fortunate to have a filly for His Highness that is as good as this,” said Weld, who was winning the race for the second time, after Blue Wind in 1981.
“She’s a beautifully-mannered animal and a beautiful filly to train. Patience has paid dividends with her; we took our time with her as a two-year-old and just gave her one run this year when she won nicely at Navan.
“She loves to come from off the pace, this is a progressive filly. She’s very relaxed and got a beautiful ride from Chris Hayes. She was cantering down the hill then he gave her a couple of strides and let her go.
“We will look at the Irish Oaks or wait for an autumn campaign.”
Chris Hayes celebrates winning the Oaks
He added: “She’s a good filly, her dam was a very good filly, Frankie Dettori rode her at the Breeders’ Cup and then she ran in Hong Kong where she was third in the Vase.
“I was always pretty sure she’d stay, she’s from a great staying Aga Khan family that goes back to the Gold Cup horses Enzeli and Estimate, so that’s why I was confident about the trip.
“She’s also a very relaxed filly and it was a beautiful ride by Chris, I was pretty confident from a long way out, she was cantering, he got her into a beautiful rhythm which is important before you let them go, and he sat for those couple of strides.
“It’s a few years since I first won the Oaks, but I haven’t had many runners. It’s hard to get fillies like this. Harzand won the Derby here and I rode the winner of the amateur Derby here, and trained it!
“She looks like an Irish Oaks filly, but we’ll see how she is.”
Teej A answers the call in Woodcote Stakes
Teej A came out on top to take the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes as the Derby meeting got under way at Epsom.
The filly, trained by Karl Burke and ridden by Clifford Lee, was one of four in the race for owners Nick Bradley Racing and started at 7-2 on the back of victory at Chester.
Always travelling well over the six furlongs, she looked in control throughout and crossed the line a length and a quarter ahead of Megalithic, with Tanager behind in third place.
Burke said: “The great thing about her is since Chester she has grown up behind, I really noticed it in the paddock and she has another few inches to grow I think, so there is a bit of scope there for the future.
Teej A came out on top in the Woodcote Stakes
“I don’t know about Ascot, she could go there – she has the ability to go there – but I think especially after what I’ve just said about her having a bit of growing to do, why rush her back when she has had a couple of quick races.
“She could go for a nice Group race in France and try to get that black type. This race used to be a black-type race and isn’t now and I would be looking at races like the Cheveley Park later in the year and giving her a chance to really fulfil her potential.”
He added: “This was the plan to come here after Chester. I thought Clifford kicked on 100 yards quicker than he needed to and I thought she would get collared by Ralph’s horse in the last furlong, but to be fair to her she stuck to her guns and did it well. I was delighted with her and she was tough in the last 100 yards.”
Moore shines as Luxembourg makes all in Coronation Cup
Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg powered home to take the Holland Cooper Coronation Cup under a canny front-running ride from Ryan Moore.
The 9-4 chance was always handily placed in the Group One, which was run at a slow pace in the early stages, as only five lined up for the Epsom showpiece.
Turning for home, the five-year-old was asked to accelerate by his jockey and he was well able to do so, dashing for the line and holding off the chasing Hamish to succeed by a length, as 7-4 favourite Emily Upjohn finished fourth.
O’Brien said: “Ryan controlled everything and at halfway he had everyone where he wanted them. It was an incredible ride.
Luxembourg leads his way to victory under Ryan Moore
“Ryan obviously always makes his own mind up, we always talk about different scenarios but once the gates open, he makes his own mind up. Obviously in the big races, he’s incredible.”
Luxembourg has now claimed Group One triumphs at two, three, four and five, but this was a first victory over a mile and a half at the third attempt.
O’Brien added: “We always thought he was a mile-and-a-half horse. We ran him a bit short through the winter because the races were there, but genuinely he gets a mile and a half well.
“When he ran in the Arc, the ground was very soft and other things didn’t work for him, but I’d say he’s made to be a King George horse.
“This year he’s changed into an older horse physically, we think. We probably ran him too short (in the first two races of the year) to be fair to him, we asked him to do things that probably weren’t fair to him. I think the last day we ran him over nine furlongs. Ryan just said he was a lot better than those runs.
“He gets a mile and a half well and he loves fast ground. I think nice ground will be a help to him, too. He’s a great horse to have, I think he will travel plenty. He’s at that age now and has a great mind on him.”