Snowfall lights up rainy Epsom with astonishing Cazoo Oaks display
RAINFALL was the word of the day at Epsom on Friday, that was until Snowfall obliterated her Cazoo Oaks rivals by a record 16 lengths to give Aidan O’Brien his ninth success in the race.
O’Brien has now won both fillies’ Classics this season following Mother Earth’s win in the Qipco 1000 Guineas, with both of them coming in the hands of legendary jockey Frankie Dettori.
The 50-year-old pilot never had a moment’s worry as Musidora Stakes winner Snowfall bounded clear of 50/1 shot Mystery Angel with another Ballydoyle filly Divinely in third.
“We thought she was a very good filly last year, she disappointed us a few times,” said O’Brien. “Some races didn’t work out for her, but she had a lot of experience and did very well over the winter physically.
“She’s a very good moving filly and always showed a lot of class so we were just a bit worried about the soft ground today.
“Frankie was very impressed with her, he said at all stages she was cantering. She’s a very exciting filly for this year.”
Snowfall is now a best-priced 5/1 favourite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and you’d have to think that will be the long-term target for the daughter of Deep Impact after this demolition job.
Dettori has ridden some incredible horses in his career, not least Enable who landed this prize in 2017, and this success tied Fred Archer’s tally of 21 British Classics.
“I’ve won many Classics, not as easy as this one,” said Dettori. “She went through like a hot knife through butter.”
“They were going way too fast, I let her get on with it. Four out I had everything beaten and I had the luxury to take one set of my goggles down.
“I was afraid of Santa Barbara coming from behind but when I saw some daylight she just took off.”
“It was a bit like playing cowboys and indians – and I was the cowboy with the gun!”
Despite being beaten in six of her seven starts as a juvenile, Snowfall now has the world at her feet after this sensational performance.
She was giving O’Brien a 40th British Classic, equalling 19th Century handler John Scott’s record.
Once again it was O’Brien and Dettori, two of the greatest ever to grace the sport of horseracing, who shone the brightest.