The China Mail - Minnie Hauk wins Epsom Oaks for dominant O'Brien

Desert Flower, the short-priced favourite and 1000 Guineas winner at Newmarket last month, finished third.

Up front the Ballydoyle pair pulled a long way clear, but it took all of the final furlong for Ryan Moore's mount to get on top of long-time leader Whirl, with the 9-2 chance eventually winning by a neck.

"I've been delighted with this filly, she's got a great team around her and I'm so grateful to everybody," said Irish trainer O'Brien.

"She's a very classy filly. She was just ready to run at Chester (last month), she barely made it, but she made abnormal improvement from Chester, which we thought she might –- it was all class rather than stamina or fitness, she just has a lot of class.

"Ryan gave her a beautiful ride, he loved her the last day and he loved her again today so it's very exciting."

Moore was impressed by the performance of Minnie Hauk.

"The filly in front is a good filly and kept building the whole way and I just had to ask my filly to go to her and she quickened up very smartly and got there easily," he said.

While the Irish Oaks is on O'Brien’s radar for Minnie Hauk, he also has one eye on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October.

He said: "I would say there is every possibility this filly could be an Arc filly as she can go a lot stronger tempo than they went today, so that means she would be happy amongst the older horses."

Earlier, in the other Group One race, the O'Brien-trained Jan Brueghel, also ridden by Moore, upset favourite Calandagan in a thrilling finish to win the Coronation Cup.

The Derby, the highlight of the Derby Festival at Epsom, southwest of London, takes place on Saturday.

R.Yeung--ThChM