Cassydora can collect in Oaks
His picturesque Castle Stables in Arundel have housed plenty of good horses since Salsabil, who famously beat the colts in the Irish Derby, and Cassydora looked pretty special in her only run this season. Her dam Bulaxie was a classy performer who finished fifth in this very race, but this filly could be even better judging by her six-length disposal of Seven Magicians in the Lingfield Oaks Trial last month.
Cassydora was very smart as a juvenile, too, and was the the only horse to beat Playful Act before going on to finish fourth to John Gosden’s charge in the May Hill Stakes.
She has obviously improved, and having dealt with the descent at Lingfield, she should handle Epsom and can become the first horse since Ramruma in 1999 to follow up with Oaks glory from that particular trial.
The Group One Vodafone Coronation Cup has an international feel to it, but the race’s history is littered with costly mishaps, particularly by French jockeys.
So it is better to stick with the domestic runners and the interesting horse could be Papineau, who drops back down to a mile and a half.
After he won last year’s Gold Cup, there had been talk of the five-year-old taking in the King George, so the Godolphin team obviously think he has got enough speed.
Papineau won races over the trip when trained in France, but unfortunately he lost the rest of 2004 through injury. He returned after a lengthy absence at York last month when finishing fifth behind Franklins Gardens, delighting connections, and he should strip a
