The 2021 Cazoo Oaks: Your essential runner-by-runner guide

Sire: Galileo. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. Official Rating: 95. Odds: 10-1.

Firstly, she is trained by Aidan O’Brien and a daughter of Galileo which has proved a potent combination in three of the past five renewals of the Oaks, with victories for Minding, Forever Together and Love.

She also hails from the family of Red Evie, a Group One winner of the Matron Stakes for Michael Bell and is a full-sister to none other than Arc and Breeders’ Cup Turf heroine, Found.

The Coolmore-bred filly landed a Group Three in the mud at the Curragh last season amongst five starts as a two-year-old, and improved again when a two-length fourth in the Lingfield Oaks Trial behind Sherbet Lemon.

Seemingly held on that form and with an official rating of just 95, Divinely may well have to live up to her name if she is to make a splash on Friday.

However, she is bred for the job and her renowned stable has landed this contest with less likely sorts, like Qualify and Was, in the past.

Sire: Teofilo. Trainer: Mark Johnston. Official Rating: 110. Odds: 11-1.

Mark Johnston, the most successful British Flat trainer of all time, has never won the Oaks, or the Derby.

However, he has a very strong Oaks candidate this year in Dubai Fountain who made all to triumph in the Cheshire Oaks in May, just as Enable did in 2017.

Her father Teofilo, a champion two-year-old in 2006 for Jim Bolger, is a son of the mighty Galileo and she is a full-sister to David Pipe’s cross-code veteran Leoncavallo, who finished sixth in last year’s Cesarewitch and fifth in this year’s Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Dubai Fountain is like most Johnston types: tough, determined and consistent having never been outside the first four in eight starts.

Whether she has more improvement in her though is the big question and she did get an easy time of it out front on the Roodee, which she seems unlikely to get here.

An extremely solid each-way contender with the highest official rating in the field, but it's difficult to see her winning.

Sire: Frankel. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. Official Rating: 92. Odds: 50-1.

Aidan O’Brien won this race with a maiden, Forever Together, three years ago and he has another filly of the same ilk this year.

Zero-from-six in her career and a well-beaten fourth behind the aforementioned Dubai Fountain last time out at Chester, La Jaconde has it all to do on form.

On the breeding side of things though, she seems guaranteed to stay the trip, being a daughter of Frankel who sired Anapurna to win this two years ago and is a full-sister to Irish Derby and Queen’s Vase winner, Santiago.

Another Ballydoyle outsider who can’t be ignored, but she is no Mona Lisa.

Sire: Kodi Bear. Trainer: George Boughey. Official Rating: 100. Odds: 25-1.

A very experienced filly for a three-year-old having run 11 times, and already five times this season.

Impressed when winning the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket last month before fluffing her lines somewhat in the Musidora Stakes behind Snowfall, and will need to improve on that performance to figure, plus she is held on two-year-old form with Zeyaadah last October.

She has shaped as though she’d get the Oaks trip on several occasions but her pedigree doesn’t necessarily point to such.

The George Boughey-trained bay is by Celebration Mile winner Kodi Bear and out of star sprinting sire Dark Angel. Dam Angel Grace, trained by David Menusier, ran only as far as 1m2f.

Sire: Australia. Trainer: Hugo Palmer. Official Rating: 95. Odds: 33-1.

Only a novice victory at Lingfield last December from three outings and has been slow to start on each occasion, while also proving reluctant to load on her debut behind Noon Star.

Shaped very well when a length-and-three-quarter third of eight behind Sherbet Lemon in the Oaks Trial at Lingfield. That was a highly encouraging display with a view towards this, and she is bred for the trip being by 2014 Derby winner Australia.

Similar to Forever Together in 2018, she is also out of a mare by Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Theatrical and her brother, Wigmore Hall, was rated as high as 117 for Michael Bell.

Can’t afford to blow the start again here or it will be a tough road back, but makes appeal under champion jockey Oisin Murphy, despite being relatively inexperienced and not entirely straightforward.

Sire: New Bay. Trainer: Jane Chapple-Hyam. Official Rating: 109.Odds: 10-1.

Capable and progressive filly who kept on well to be beaten a length in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas behind Mother Earth. She has done all of her racing on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket and won the Group Three Oh So Sharp Stakes last year.

This will be a whole different test but her experience of the Newmarket undulations should stand her in good stead and she comes into this with arguably the strongest recent form line.

Her breeding doesn’t scream a mile and a half as her sire New Bay, a French Derby winner, was one from three at the trip and her dam, Falling Petals, was sired by Raven’s Pass, who raced only to 1m2f.

Her stamina for this race must therefore be taken on trust, as well as her ability to cope away from Newmarket, despite her undoubted class.

Sire: Camelot. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. Official Rating: - . Odds: 9-4.

Ran a stormer when heavily backed on only her second start in the Guineas, finishing a close-up fourth, despite running green.

She was immediately installed as favourite for this in the interim and the plan has always been Epsom. She could be a potential superstar in the making and her pedigree would also point to the Oaks.

She is by 2012 Derby winner Camelot who almost sired the winner of this race two years ago with Pink Dogwood for the same connections. While her siblings include both Iridessa, a four-time Group One winner and Order Of Australia, the Breeders’ Cup mile winner last year.

An interesting note is that Aidan O’Brien has won five of the past nine renewals of the Oaks, with four of those five having run three times or more.

Santa Barbara still lacks experience for all that she is talented and if she is to emulate the likes of Love and Minding (both by Galileo) in recent years, she will need to live up to the hype.

Sire: Kingman. Trainer: Roger Varian. Official Rating: 97. Odds: 33-1.

One of three for the Roger Varian yard and seems to be third string.

She’s a real improver though, having followed up taking wins at Wolverhampton and Windsor in recent months with a gallant second in the Lingfield Oaks Trial.

She ran on well that day on what was only her second start on turf and should get every yard of the trip.

The Gredley family-owned filly is by champion miler Kingman, with the stamina coming from the dam’s sire, Galileo. Lacks the obvious potential of a few of her rivals but is not one to completely rule out.

Sire: Lemon Drop Kid. Trainer: Archie Watson. Official Rating: 99. Odds: 33-1.

Bound to be popular with golden girl Hollie Doyle booked to ride. She’s not without a chance, either, as she bids to emulate Anapurna who won this two years ago after victory at Lingfield in the Oaks Trial.

Sherbet Lemon showed a tenacious attitude to fend off her rivals in that contest and more of the same will be needed here if she is to cause an upset.

She is bred to do so being by Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid, and out of a Danehill Dancer mare, like 2016 Oaks winner, Minding.

The Archie Watson-trained filly also shares the same mother, Famous, with Melbourne Cup third Il Paradiso and Abyssinian (who won up to 1m5f).

Sire: Deep Impact. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. Official Rating: 108. Odds: 4-1.

Produced a career-best effort on her return in the Musidora Stakes at York when flooring well-fancied rivals, Noon Star and Teona.

It was a no-nonsense ride from the front that day by a masterful Ryan Moore and it will be intriguing to see what tactics are employed here.

She is unlikely to get it all her own way with the likes of Dubai Fountain in the field and being by Japanese superstar Deep Impact does not guarantee she will stay the trip, as we saw in 2018 with Derby favourite Saxon Warrior.

She is out of a Galileo mare though, and her dam, Best In The World, won a Group Three at Cork over 1m4f.

With Moore likely to keep faith in Santa Barbara, this could well end up being the mount of Frankie Dettori, who has triumphed in recent years with Anapurna and Enable.

She's an each-way contender, but her stablemate Santa Barbara would seem the more likely winner from the Ballydoyle battalion.

Sire: Mastercraftsmen. Trainer: Martyn Meade. Official Rating: 97. Odds: 33-1.

We know she handles the track from her close second in the Blue Riband Trial here in April and she was fancied to go one better next time in the Lingfield Oaks Trial but nothing went right that day.

She ended up fading into a disappointing seventh and will have to find a significant jolt of improvement to even figure here.

Her dam Lifting Me Higher won over the Oaks Trip while she is out of a Sea The Stars mare, the exceptional 2009 Derby winner.

This is a tough ask though and she will need a hell of a lot to go right.

Sire: Sea The Stars. Trainer: Roger Varian. Official Rating: 100. Odds: 6-1.

Showed masses of potential in two starts on the All-weather last year at Newcastle before arguably improving to finish a four-and-a-quarter length third in the Musidora.

The Ali Saeed-owned filly seemed to do a lot wrong there when breaking slowly, pulling hard and then having nothing left to give late on before staying on again.

Judged by her breeding, the Oaks is sure to have been a long-term plan for connections, being by a Derby winner (Sea the Stars) and his dam out of another Derby winner (Authorized), while her brother Al Hilalee also won over 1m4f at Group Two level.

She is clearly a talented filly that is sure to progress, but this may be too big of an ask at this stage of her career.

Sire: American Pharaoh. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien. Official Rating: 96. Odds: 40-1.

Hard to fancy with only one win to her name from five starts, and that was a maiden at Leopardstown last October. Did show progression last time out though when third in the Blue Wind Stakes at Naas and could well improve on that up in trip.

She is by legendary American Triple Crown winner Amercian Pharaoh and out of a Danehill mare, while her dam, Peeping Fawn almost produced an upset to beat Light Shift in this contest in 2007 before going on to win four straight Group Ones. Overall, she must improve to figure.

Sire: Tamayuz. Trainer: Roger Varian. Official Rating: 105. Odds: 6-1.

Could not have been more eyecatching when an unlucky second behind Dubai Fountain in the Cheshire Oaks, when giving her 3lb. And that race in particular has provided two of the last four winners of the Oaks with Forever Together (a very similar unlucky second at Chester) and Enable.

She scored at pattern level as a two-year-old when fending off the talented Mystery Angel in the mud at Newmarket last October.

On the breeding front, this Shadwell-owned chestnut is by top-class miler Tamayuz, while her dam’s sire, Act One (won a French Derby) has bred Listed winners over 1m4f. Her best form is with cut in the ground but she did win on good ground at Beverley last year.

It’s the Roger Varian-trained filly ZEYAADAH who makes most appeal in what would be a poignant success in the Shadwell Estate silks carried by so many greats over the Epsom Downs.

She has been progressive throughout her career, winning a Listed race at Newmarket last September when carrying a penalty before shaping best of all, despite finishing second, in the Cheshire Oaks. She is weighted to overturn the form with the consistent Dubai Fountain, and she should do so.

As for the Aidan O’Brien-trained leading fancies, Santa Barbara must be the number one hope from Ballydoyle as she could be another Love, or Minding, in the making.

She remains inexperienced though and she is not by Galileo like O’Brien’s past three winners of this race.

Snowfall had it all her own way when showing huge improvement from two to three to land the Musidora.

However, Teona, who was a mere four and a quarter-lengths behind, did everything wrong that day and still came out of the race with credit.

She certainly has place potential if consenting to settle and breaking on terms under David Egan, who is no stranger to big-race success.

As for the Lingfield Oaks Trial formline, Sherbet Lemon seemed to win on merit that day and could be a lively outsider under Hollie Doyle. Not far behind her there was Ocean Road who is bred for the job but must grow up fast if she is to figure.

Saffron Beach would be a real fairy-tale story for Jane Chapple-Hyam and rider Adam Kirby, but her breeding has never pointed towards to the Oaks and we could well see her back down in trip and having a crack at the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot next.

1. Zeyaadah. 2. Santa Barbara. 3. Dubai Fountain.