Oaks Closing Date Pushed Back

Entries for this year’s G1 Investec Oaks will close Tuesday, Apr. 14, six weeks later than the original date in early March, officials at Epsom Downs announced yesterday. The G1 Investec Coronation Cup will also close that day, a week later than originally programmed. 

“We have felt for some time that the first week of March is early enough in this day and age for us to be seeking entries for a race of this nature in three months’ time, particularly given how fillies can be slow to come to hand in the spring,” stated Andrew Cooper, head of racing at Epsom. “The extra time now available to connections before the entry deadline will mean they are better placed to judge their filly’s potential for the Investec Oaks. The March closing date was purely historic, and we think it may have been costing us entries in recent years, particularly from overseas. To keep things simple for everyone, it makes sense to close the Investec Coronation Cup on the same day.” 

Trainer Ed Dunlop, who won the fillies’ Classic with Ouija Board (GB) in 2004 and with Snow Fairy (Ire) in 2010, welcomed the news. 

“As a trainer, in an ideal world, I would love the race to close even later but that is not possible,” he commented. “It doesn’t make a great deal of difference in terms of the trials, as the closing date is still before the trials start taking place. However, the change of date could certainly help in attracting more entries from overseas, for example from France, where the trials’ season gets going much earlier in the year. The only fillies you would lose from the entries are those who were being aimed at the race and have a setback between March and April, or are disappointing in their work.” 

The 2015 Investec Oaks, set for Friday, June 5, carries purse money of £450,000, up from £425,000 in 2014. Accordingly, the entry fee has risen to £1,500 from £1,325 last season.