Was, one of five runners in the race for trainer Aidan O'Brien, galloped on bravely to win the Oaks Friday. Ridden by Seamus Heffernan held on by a neck from Shirocco Star with the fast-finishing favorite The Fugue half a length away in third in the Epsom classic for fillies. It was a fourth Epsom Oaks success for O'Brien and a huge boost ahead of Saturday's Derby where the Irish maestro runs the heavily fancied Camelot, winner of the 2,000 Guineas last month. Heffernan, 40 next month, has been a long-time servant of the O'Brien stable and landed his first English classic. He said of Was: “She arrived there on the bridle (coasting) and I had plenty of petrol. When you have that you can go where you like.” The race mirrored the Newmarket classic for fillies, the 1,000 Guineas, where O'Brien's outsider Homecoming Queen soundly beat stablemate and favourite Maybe into third place. Maybe was well fancied Friday with O'Brien's 19-year-old son Joseph in the saddle and was sent off second favorite but could do no better than fifth, beaten just under four lengths. The Oaks, like the Derby, is raced over a mile-and-a-half.
