Epsom Derby news: Ryan Moore opts for lowest rated of Oaks trio

Timeform ratings show that Ryan Moore has plumped for potential rather than form in the book in Friday's Betfred Oaks at Epsom.

Moore, the number one jockey for the Coolmore partners, had the choice of three trial winners trained by Aidan O'Brien but has elected to ride Minnie Hauk rather than Giselle or Whirl.

Minnie Hauk earned her place in the line-up by winning the Cheshire Oaks, a listed race that Enable and Forever Together both used as a stepping stone on the way to Epsom. As a daughter of Frankel out of a half-sister to the top-class Kingman, Minnie Hauk has a superb pedigree and is open to improvement after only three starts, though the bare form she showed at Chester is rated by Timeform as a stone lower than Whirl's win in the Musidora Stakes.

Whirl had finished only sixth on her reappearance in a Group 3 over a mile at the Curragh but, upped in trip and with the benefit of a run under her belt, she proved a different proposition in the Musidora and won by five and a half lengths.

That performance is rated even higher than the form Desert Flower showed when winning the 1000 Guineas, though Desert Flower still heads Timeform's ratings for the Oaks based on what she produced when a devastating five-and-a-half-length winner of the Fillies' Mile last season.

Tony McFadden, deputy racing editor at Timeform and Sporting Life, said: "It can't have been a straightforward choice for Ryan Moore in the Oaks as all three fillies trained by Aidan O'Brien are exceptionally well bred and open to improvement.

“Whirl has the strongest form of the trio so it's interesting that Moore, who has the benefit of knowing what the fillies show at home, has put his faith in Minnie Hauk taking a big step forward."

Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings – Epsom Oaks 2025:

130 Desert Flower
126p Whirl
118p Giselle
117p Elwateen
115p Go Go Boots
114 Wemighttakedlongway
112p Minnie Hauk
111p Revoir
109 Qilin Queen

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