Group One winner Emily Upjohn is set to start her season off at Epsom in the Group One Coronation Cup having pleased her trainer so far at home ahead of the Epsom contest.
An exciting four year old daughter of Sea The Stars, Emily Upjohn put in some superb performances last year that made her a force to be reckoned with.
She looked high class when completing a hat-trick in the Musidora and was very unfortunate not to make it 4-4 when denied on the nod in the Epsom Oaks after tumbling slightly when jumping out the stalls.
She was forced wide on that occasion so on another day she would have won that with plenty left in hand. She then failed to give her running in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes but she did bounce back to form when last seen at Ascot.Sent into the Group One British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes she went on to win well, beating the Ger Lyons trained Thunder Kiss by three lengths.
Two for @FrankieDettori on Champions Day! Emily Upjohn shines in the Group 1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes for the Gosdens at @Ascot pic.twitter.com/uvI5UgJVY8
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 15, 2022
This term the Coronation Cup looks her most likely starting point with her trainer John Gosden keeping her in the race at this stage.
(Credit ATR) John Gosden said: “We’ll leave Emily Upjohn in the Coronation Cup and she worked nicely over the weekend. Obviously she was just a short head shy in the Oaks last year, she’s in good form and we’ll definitely leave her in that race.
“We had a look at Dubai and it was too soon for her. We had this February and it was sort of spring like, it fooled all of us and the fillies and then along came a cold and wet March and April and a lot of the fillies just went back into themselves.
“A lot of the colts did similar and then we’ve had a lot of testing and heavy ground, so I think it’s been a bit of a muddling first part of the season with a combination of the two. To that extent she was very much taking her time, but she seems to be coming to herself now.
“I think it will be a good race, it looks like Westover will be there so it will be a really solid race. The Japanese aren’t bringing that world champion (Equinox) as the track is a little complicated for him I’d say, but he put up some performance in Dubai.”