GUINEAS AND OAKS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 1, 1 July 1938, Page 13

GUINEAS AND OAKS

ROCKFEL'S FINE DOUBLE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, June 4.

Today was Ladies' Day at Epsom— the "ladies," no doubt, being the fillies. Colts and, sometimes, fillies run in the Derby; fillies only contest the Oaks. Both races are run over the same distance of 1J miles and 5 yards. < The King and Queen arrived just before the first race, and were received by Lord Crewe, Lord Rosebery &nd the Duke of Norfolk. Their Majesties, accompanied by Lord Rosebery and followed by other members of the Royal Party, walked down the col^fe to inspect the fillies for the Oaks. The I King had no runners, but it was obvious that he was taking a keen interest in everything Lord Rosebery had to tell him. ~ _ In the field of 14, Sir Hugo Cun-liffe-Owen, who won the Derby in 1928 with Felstead, won the Oaks with Felstead's daughter, Rockfel, who thus ioins the select band of fillies who have won both the One Thousand Guineas and the Oaks. The winner has had a remarkable rise to fame. In her early days as a two-year-old she actually ran in a selling race and finished unplaced. She has made headway since Guineas Day and no Oaks winner has scored more easily. Harry Wragg allowed her to stride along m front from the start, and in the straight she increased her lead to finish four lengths in front of Radiant, who cost Miss Dorothy Paget 11,500 guineas as a yearling. Sir Alfred Butt's Solar Flower, who finished third, is from the same stable as Radiant, both being trained by Frank Butters. Radiant wound up her two-year-old activities with the reputation of being-the-best filly of her age. V . , ', O. Bell, who trains Rockfel, had never won the Oaks before, and his only previous "classic" success was with Rockfel's sire. This also was Harry Wragg's first success in the Oaks, but he has won all the other classics. When the filly won the One Thousand Guineas, Sam - Wragg had the mount, but today he stood down in favour of his brother, Harry. Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen had, however, promised Sam the: same present as his elder brother if Rockfel won the race.

The hope of France was Mr. E. Esmond's Shrew 11, trained at Chantilly, and ridden by C. E. Elliott. However, she turned out to be an "also ran." Shrew II has a good deal of English blood. Her sire, Shred, is by Teddy out of Shrove, who was purchased for a big price by Mr. Esmond at the dispersal of Sir Edward Hulton's stud. Shrove was by Pommern out of Silver Tag, and thus goes back to the same family as Pasch. Mr. Esmond was more hopeful than optimistic. "We cannot be sure," he said, "that Shrew II will stay the course, though she recently did a good gallop over about a mile and a quarter."