Oppenheimer hopes he has the Queen for Cheshire Oaks crown

Anthony Oppenheimer is hopeful there is improvement to come from Queen Of Thieves when she heads to Chester in search of the Weatherbys ePassport Cheshire Oaks crown.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the daughter of Frankel stole a march on her rivals when impressing at Yarmouth recently and although the strength of that wide-margin win is still to be proven, the sister to the owner’s Group One star Cracksman arrives at the Roodee with untapped potential yet to be unlocked.

Oppenheimer said: “She’ll stay the Cheshire Oaks trip and I hope she will run well. She just could improve and we’re really experimenting with her, she’s learning all the time.

“She won well at Yarmouth, but I’m afraid I don’t think the opposition was overly serious, so she may have looked a bit better than what she is.

“It’s a Listed race and it would be great if she can get in the first three, with her pedigree the extra distance should help a little bit. We’ll see and we’re open to some improvement hopefully.”

The race was won last year by Ralph Beckett, who this time relies on That’s Amore, who dazzled on her racecourse bow at Newbury last October and now wears the colours of Lady Bamford.

Beckett said: “That’s Amore was quick away on debut, round the bend at Newbury, and she enjoyed that. It was a good effort obviously from the front and she shapes like she’ll get the trip. She’s been away from home to work and that went well.”

No trainer has his team in finer form than Andrew Balding and he will saddle the returning Secret Of Love, who finished 2024 with a silver medal in the Montrose Stakes at Newmarket.

“Secret Of Love was second on her final start last season in the Montrose at Newmarket and she is a decent filly,” said Balding.

“I would hope she will be competitive stepping up in trip here and it looks a good spot to start her off.”

Meanwhile, Aidan O’Brien will bid for a record-extending ninth victory with Minnie Hauk.

The Ballydoyle handler said: “Minnie Hauk is a nice filly who pleased us when second in a maiden at Cork first time out and then went to Leopardstown and won nicely.

“She’s done very well over the winter and we think the trip should only help her. She’s in good form, but will improve plenty from the run.”

O’Brien also has a strong hand in the Boodles Chester Vase Stakes, where Lambourn states his case to make the Coolmore Derby team after chasing home Delacroix on his return in Leopardstown’s Ballysax Stakes.

“Lambourn had a lovely run behind Delacroix over a mile and a quarter in the Ballysax last time,” said O’Brien.

“We always thought he’d be a middle-distance horse and he’s been working nicely. We are happy with everything he’s done since, and going up another couple of furlongs will only help him. He’s Ryan’s choice.”

Lambourn will be joined in a raiding mission by Thrice and O’Brien added: “He won his maiden and was then fourth in a Group race at Leopardstown. We think Chester will suit him and, although we are not sure about the trip, we think there’s a chance he could get it as he’s a nice, lazy sort of horse.”

Karl Burke tests the big-race credentials of his unbeaten dual Redcar winner Convergent, while Beckett has been left with no choice but to run the Juddmonte-owned Derby entrant Pinhole and Square D’Alboni against one another due to the uncertainty about conditions at Lingfield.

“Pinhole shapes very much like a stayer, and Square D’Alboni is bred to be one, but they are two very different types,” explained Beckett.

“Square D’Alboni is a light-framed athletic sort of horse, and a gelding, and so not in the Derby. He’s a Listed winner already and I didn’t want to start him under a penalty, so this looked a good spot for him.

“Pinhole is a bigger, longer type whose work has improved through the spring. They are having to take each other on because of the question mark over Saturday’s Lingfield Trial, but I’d be pretty hopeful of both of them.”