Estrange takes next step with Lancashire Oaks challenge
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned four-year-old was not even favourite for her reappearance in the Group Three Lester Piggott Stakes at the end of May, but breezed clear of her rivals in impressive fashion.
An IMPRESSIVE performance 👏
Estrange bolts up to win the Betfred Nifty 50 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes 🥇#ITVRacing | @haydockraces pic.twitter.com/SCSxsCHJqJ
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 31, 2025
'We were heading to Haydock the last day with quite a bit of hope – we thought she was very good based on her homework,' said O'Meara.
'I thought she would see out a mile and a half and it made for pretty easy watching. She lobbed along and it was apparent in the straight, when a lot of the other fillies were coming under pressure, that when Danny (Tudhope) eased her out she looked like she was just doing a half-speed.
'It was a great sense of relief when she won as so much can go wrong in races and sometimes horses don't live up to what we think of them, but she certainly lived up to expectations.
'The ease with which she won did take me a bit by surprise, but we did expect her to put up a good show.'
Connections have made no secret of the regard in which Estrange is held, with targets as lofty as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe being mooted.
O'Meara added: 'Amazing Maria was brilliant for us then we also had G Force, while Mondialiste gave me great satisfaction when we took him to Canada and he won the Woodbine Mile.
'Far more of those good horses end up in other yards, so we are very aware that we are very fortunate to have Estrange in the yard and Cheveley Park Stud have always been very supportive to us.'
Chief among Estrange's rivals in Saturday's Group Two feature is Ed Walker's Scenic, winner of the Group Three Bronte Cup at York on her most recent outing and subsequently recruited by the powerful Wathnan Racing team.
Walker said: 'It's a small field and fingers crossed it should be a good opportunity for her.
'Her plan since last year has been the Bronte, the Lancashire Oaks and the Yorkshire Oaks. That was always the plan and we're still well on track.'
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