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Aidan O’Brien-trained daughter of Deep Impact wins Friday’s Oaks by 16 lengths
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Snowfall (3 f ex Best In The World by Galileo) demolished Friday’s Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) field at Epsom to run away and score a 16 length victory. The win provided her late multiple champion sire Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) with his 50th Group / Grade 1 winner.
Settled a little worse than midfield by Frankie Dettori, Snowfall started to make ground with 600 metres left to travel. She went to second with 400 metres left to run and took the lead over the final 200 metres to pull right away and score a hugely impressive win.
Mystery Angel (Kodi Bear) finished second, at odds of 50-1, with Divinely (Galileo) another length and three quarters further away in third. Favourite, Santa Barbara (Camelot), could only manage fifth.
The victory was the ninth in the race for O’Brien.
“We thought she was very good last year, and put her in all the big races. David, who rides her every day, has been over the moon with her. Jamie, who’s in charge of her, Wayne, who rides her work, they’ve all been very happy with her,” O’Brien said.
“She was very impressive at York. She’s maybe just got a bit stronger over the winter, and the extra distance – she’s out of a full sister to Found as well. So it’s an unbelievable pedigree, by Deep Impact. We really thought she was a proper Group 1 filly last year, and kept disappointing. Little things happened to her in races, and stuff like that.
“But she won the Musidora very impressively. You’re never sure, but she has a lot of class – when ground turns like that, you can sometimes get extreme distances. But Frankie gave her a very good ride – and she looks a very special filly, doesn’t she?”
Bred by Roncon, Chelston and Wynatt, Snowfall won the Musidora Stakes (Gr 3, 1m2.5f) at York on her seasonal debut last month. As a juvenile she only one once, breaking her maiden at the Curragh on her third start last July.
She is the only winner out of Group 3 winning Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Best In The World who is herself a sister to multiple Group 1 winner Found being out of dual Group 1 winner Red Evie (Intikhab).
The victory provided Coolmore’s multiple champion sire Galileo with his 34th Group 1 winner as a broodmare sire with that list including The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice), Ghaiyyath (Dubawi), Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) and Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact) as well as Personal (Fastnet Rock), Tofane (Ocean Park) and Sistercharlie (Myboycharlie).