Handling the Epsom course is key to battle of Gosden fillies in The Oaks

John Gosden senses to day’s I n v e s t e c O a k s o u t c o m e bet ween his t wo fillies Mehd a ay i h a n d A n a p u r n a may boil down to which one handles Epsom’s unique contours the best.

B oth head to Surrey on the back of impressive trial wins, with Mehdaayih supplemented for Classic glory after winning the Cheshire Oaks so well under Robert Havlin. Anapurna looked a stout stayer when landing the Lingfield Oaks Trial, and she will once again be ridden by Frankie Dettori.

“Both fillies won with some a u t h o r i t y, a n d A n a p u r n a would be more of the staying type of filly,” said Gosden.

“B oth are athletic and are light on their feet, so should h a n d l e t h e t r a c k b u t wh e n you are in the thick of it coming down the hill jostling for position, that is a different ball game.”

Aidan O’brien’s Pink Dogwo o d i s Me h d a ay i h’s c h i e f market rival and has always been the number one contender for Ballydoyle.

“We l o ve d h e r l a s t y e a r – we always thought she was going to be a middle-distance filly and we always thought she was going to be our main Oaks filly,” said O’brien. “She was only just ready to star t when she won at Navan, and that was a slowly-run race. She has come forward from that.”

O’brien also runs Delphinia, Fleeting and Peach Tree.

R a l p h B e c ke t t h a s a g o o d record in the race and is represented by Manuela De Vega, second to Mehdaayih at Chester. He said: “We didn’t go there [Chester] expecting to win, we went there more in hope than expectation.

“I w a s ve r y p l e a s e d w i t h the way it went. She needed to go round there and get in between horses again.

“She finished out her race well, and I was ver y pleased. We n u r s e d h e r t h e r e , a n d she did two easy bits of work b efore Chester but we have gone at her properly since and I expect her to be a lot more competitive.”

William Haggas runs Frankellina and Maqsad. The latt e r h a s wo n b o t h h e r r a c - es this season but she do es have a stamina doubt. Owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s racing manager Angus Gold said: “I think William Haggas has made no secret that she is very effective over a mile and a quarter, but he doesn’t know if she will be as effective over a mile and a half.

“We know she has got the class, although I don’t think it was a fantastic contest she won the other day and that was slightly confirmed with t h e s e c o n d b e i n g b e a te n a t Goodwood.

“S h e h a s s h o w n a l o t o f i m p r o ve m e n t a n d s h e h a s plent y of scope. She is a big, tall filly so the track is not sure to suit her, and that is another imponderable. But, if the horse is travelling, they generally handle the track.”