The Coral-Eclipse grabs the limelight this weekend, but the Sandown showstopper isn’t the only Group class contest on the menu. Further north, the Merseyside track of Haydock stages the latest edition of the Lancashire Oaks.
As the race name suggests, this Group 2 event is restricted to the fairer sex of the equine world and takes place over the 1m4f trip. However, unlike its Epsom counterpart, the £125,000 contest is open to fillies and mares aged three and older.
Four Year Olds Dominate
It can often be tough to call between the Classic generation and their elders in contests such as this – the Coral-Eclipse being one example of a race in which the three-year-olds have fared well. However, immediately striking a line through the younger Lancashire Oaks contenders has been a sound strategy of late. No three-year-old has claimed this prize since Great Heavens over a decade ago in 2012, with every edition since falling to a four-year-old.
Just the one four-year-old lines up in the 2025 edition. However, the David O’Meara filly, Estrange, has far more going for her than fitting into the preferred age bracket.
Striking in Looks and Talent
Many horses in the racing world are officially described as grey. However, few are quite as pale as Estrange, with white being a more accurate description of her distinctive coat. Most often lining up in fields dominated with bays and chestnuts, the daughter of Night Of Thunder was always likely to stand out from the crowd. However, if you can’t pick her out, simply look to the horse in the lead as the finishing line edges closer.
She’s a beauty 😍
Great to see Estrange up close on the latest #ThisRacingLife, with @omeararacing still harbouring Arc dreams via the Yorkshire Oaks @ABE_Dubai pic.twitter.com/eaZXmBRsYe
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 2, 2025
With three wins from her four career starts, the record of Estrange isn’t quite perfect. However, barring an unlucky-in-running effort at Yarmouth, she has been near flawless. Kicking off with a 5½l stroll at Goodwood, she banished the memory of her sole defeat with a smooth success in the Listed Gillies Fillies’ Stakes at Doncaster on her final start at three. Impressive as that outing was, it was her effort last time out in the Lester Piggott Stakes that made the racing world sit up and take notice.
Group 3 Rivals Blown Away
Stepping up to Group 3 company for the first time, Estrange looked to face her biggest test to date, with Group 3 winner Beautiful Love and the highly regarded Shaha heading the opposition. However, if this was supposed to be difficult, no one informed Estrange.
With all seven rivals driven for more at the two-furlong pole, the mount of Daniel Tudhope sauntered into contention, giving the impression that she had only just joined in. Receiving only minimal urgings from her rider, she opened up to score by 4½ lengths in little more than a canter.
On that evidence, Estrange is not only one of the most visually stunning fillies in training but also among the most talented, with her performance prompting some to suggest a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe may be on the cards. Of course, it’s important not to get too carried away with a Group 3 victory. If Estrange is to line up at Longchamp in October, she must first pass her next big test in the Lancashire Oaks.
Red Hot Favourite to Prevail
Whilst a Group 2 event on paper, we may not learn much more about the rising star at Haydock. Having attracted eight or more runners in three of the last four seasons, the 2025 edition sees only four go to post – none of whom boast a profile to match that of Estrange.
Yet to score at any higher than Class 2 level, Grant Tuer’s Love Talk looks out of her depth, as does the Henry De Bromhead runner Nuit, who remains a maiden after five career outings. All of which leaves Scenic as the only realistic challenger. At five years of age, the recent Wathnan Racing recruit is older than a typical Lancashire Oaks winner. On the plus side, she can match Estrange’s total of Group 3 wins, having claimed the Group 3 Bronte Cup on her most recent appearance.
That Bronte Cup success sees Scenic arrive with a career-high rating of 107 – a solid mark but still fully 7lb below the 114-rated Estrange, who understandably dominates the market at a general price of 1/4.
Odds so short are only likely to appeal to the biggest hitters. For the rest of the racing world, the 2025 Lancashire Oaks represents the next chapter in one of the most exciting stories of the season to date.