Amelia Earhart is the new Epsom Oaks favourite. Yesterday she won the Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks at Chester for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore, beating I'm The One — who had arrived as the Oaks market leader — into second place. The result immediately flipped the Oaks ante-post market. Here is everything you need to know about the new favourite.
The Chester Win
Amelia Earhart wore first-time blinkers in the Cheshire Oaks — a tactical adjustment that O'Brien and Moore had clearly planned. She had finally broken her duck at Leopardstown in a maiden last October by an easy seven lengths. The Cheshire Oaks was her second career win and first in a trial race. The blinkers, applied for the first time at Chester, produced the focused performance O'Brien was looking for.
Ryan Moore chose Amelia Earhart over stablemate Sugar Island — the higher-rated of the two O'Brien fillies in the race. The jockey allocation confirmed Ballydoyle's internal assessment: Amelia Earhart, with the blinkers applied, was more likely to produce the performance required at Chester than the more experienced Sugar Island.
The Leopardstown Form
Her maiden win at Leopardstown by seven lengths in October — on yielding ground — was the form that O'Brien targeted as the foundation for this season. A horse that wins easily on its second start after showing promise on its first has the profile of a progressive filly. The seven-length margin at Leopardstown suggested significant untapped ability — the Cheshire Oaks result confirmed it was real.
Why Moore Picked Her Over Sugar Island
The Read Horse Racing tips preview published before the race noted: "Ryan Moore, who has ridden 60% of the last 10 Cheshire Oaks winners, has decided to get the leg-up on Amelia Earhart. She sports first-time blinkers and heads here having finally broken her duck at Leopardstown in a maiden last October by an easy 7 lengths."
Moore has ridden 60% of the last ten Cheshire Oaks winners. When he specifically selects one filly from a stable with multiple runners, and applies first-time headgear, the combination is a deliberate tactical plan rather than a routine booking. The plan worked.
The Oaks Route
Amelia Earhart is now the Epsom Oaks favourite. The Oaks is on Friday June 6 at Epsom Downs — a mile and a half on the undulating, left-handed course. A horse that won the Cheshire Oaks at Chester — a similarly tight, turning track — over the same distance has the most directly applicable form of any filly currently entered for Epsom.
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Facts verified via web search May 7 2026.