The master of training Oaks winners Aidan O’Brien struck once again to land his 11th Oaks winner after Minnie Hauk got the better of her stable companion Whirl in a pulsating finish at Epsom on Friday.

Whirl made virtually all the running under Wayne Lordan, only to be overhauled by Minnie Hauk inside the final furlong, with Minnie Hauk going on to win by a neck with the 11-10 favourite Desert Flower a further four lengths back in third place.

The master of Ballydoyle has now won the fillies classic no fewer than 11 times, two adrift of Robert Robson who has won the race on 13 occasions.

For Moore, it was a fifth triumph in the race, having last been successful with Tuesday in 2002.

Aidan O’Brien said: “I’m delighted with her; she’s very classy and Ryan gave her a beautiful ride. He loved her the last day [at Chester] and then again today, so she’s very exciting. She’s obviously learning - she went to Chester and learnt a lot and was still green, and she was always improving from mid-race.

“What you love about her is that she’s a great traveller; she has a lot of class. Ryan felt he was going very easily today on her and usually what that means is that she will be able to step up a couple of grades into even higher-class races. It’s lovely for the lads and for everyone to have another filly like that.”

Earlier in the afternoon the same combination were successful when Jan Brueghel prevailed in an epic Coronation Cup after getting the better of the odds on shot Calandagan to win by half a length.

Last year’s St Leger winner took the lead entering the final two furlongs before facing a strong challenge from the French raider Calandagan, but held on.

Aidan O’Brien said: “He’s very tough and Ryan gave him a class ride, but you know he doesn’t surrender. He’d improved a lot from the last day, and you could see he was pricking his ears at the finish.

“Ryan gave him a clever ride. He ran a lovely race first time back when it was only a mile and a quarter and he got beat by a good horse of Joseph's. It was a bit unfair to pitch him in early over a mile and a quarter, but we just needed to get him out.

“He’s a very brave horse and if you pass him slowly, you’re in trouble. Ryan gave him an incredible ride, balanced him and got him in a lovely rhythm, and you can see him starting to come from a long way out.”

The 2025 Betfred Derby Festival got underway with the Listed Nyetimber Surrey Stakes. The seven-furlong contest for three-year-olds went the way of 9-4 Joint-Favourite Formal, ridden by champion jockey Oisin Murphy.

Trained by the now-retired Sir Michael Stoute in 2024, the daughter of Dubawi is now in the care of Andrew Balding and left a disappointing reappearance well behind her as she powered to a length and a half success over Saqqara Sands.

Trainer David O’Meara made first, third and sixth in the Class Two handicap with Oisin Murphy steering Mirsky to victory with Julia Augusta in third and Bopedro sixth.

Earlier champion jockey Murphy rode Formal to victory in the opener for the first leg of a double on the card.

By Peter Moore