O'Brien's Imagine may take on colts

Aidan O'Brien greeted a second Oaks winner in four years with a question: "Imagine what she would have done if she had come down…

Aidan O'Brien greeted a second Oaks winner in four years with a question: "Imagine what she would have done if she had come down the hill?"

It was hard not to keep playing on the winner's name because Imagine managed to win her second classic in a fortnight and still give the impression we have still to see the best of her.

The next test for the half sister to Generous could be in the Irish Oaks but an intriguing clash with the opposite sex could also be in the offing after O'Brien conceded: "She is so strong I wouldn't think racing against colts would faze her. We have lots of options with her."

O'Brien was keen to pass all the credit to Michael Kinane who performed an exhibition of cold-blooded big race riding in nursing Imagine down the hill without losing too much ground.

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The 11 times former champion jockey said once he met the straight he was always confident of overhualing Relish The Thought who dashed for home early. But another question widely asked after the race was about Flight Of Fancy.

Queen Elizabeth's filly looked in a much better position than Imagine on the turn in but was chopped for room at the two furlong pole and found herself trapped against the rail. By the time Kieren Fallon eventually secured a clear passage it was too late.

"Everything was going fine until she went for a gap about two and a half furlongs out and just got stopped. The one thing she did not want was to get stopped at that stage of the race," said her trainer Michael Stoute.

Flight Of Fancy did at least contribute to a clean sweep of the first three placings for the remarkable sire Sadler's Wells who is now equal to the deceased New Zealand stallion Sir Tristram with 47 individual Group One winners worldwide.

It could have been even better had not his son Wellbeing got the worst of a short head verdict against Mutafaweq in the Coronation Cup. This also saw a wonderful display of jockeyship as Frankie Dettori rode his opponents to sleep on the Godolphin winner.

Mutafaweq set a funereal pace to almost half a mile out when Dettori kicked and made the most of his mount's stamina during a sustained burst. "He is a very tough horse to get by," said Dettori who grinned the grin of a man who had got it just right.

Tobougg has been well backed to make Frankie Dettori's dream come true and give the Italian an elusive first Derby victory in today's Classic at Epsom. Bookmakers the Tote have laid the Godolphin colt to lose £50,000 and they now go 14-1 from 20-1.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column