I’m The One is aiming to follow in the footsteps of recent Oaks winners Light Shift, Enable and Minnie Hauk by warming up for Epsom with victory in the Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained filly rocketed to the top of the ante-post market for the Classic after bolting up by six lengths in a ten-furlong maiden at Newbury last month on her racecourse debut. She has a stamina-packed pedigree, so she should improve for the step up to 11 and a half furlongs at Chester, and there is reason to believe she will be even better over 12 furlongs at Epsom.

Bred by her owner Cayton Park Stud, she is by Sea The Stars, a rich source of staying power whose progeny roll of honour includes previous Cheshire Oaks heroine Anipa, and is the first foal out of Sunny Queen, a German-bred daughter of Camelot who took the scalp of Arc victor Torquator Tasso when she won the Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich.

Further back it is the family of brilliant racemare Stacelita, whose six top-level victories included the Prix de Diane, the French version of the Oaks. Stacelita’s daughter Soul Stirring landed the Japanese Oaks, and her 'niece' Sparkling Plenty also took the Prix de Diane.

I’m The One has been mentioned in the same breath as Enable, who defeated Alluringly to win the Cheshire Oaks in 2017. Alluringly has been back in the news this week, as she is the dam of newly anointed 1,000 Guineas winner True Love.

Aidan O’Brien, who oversaw the career of Alluringly and has True Love in his care, holds the record for most wins in the Cheshire Oaks as a trainer, with nine – courtesy of Sail, Perfect Truth, Wonder Of Wonders, Diamondsandrubies, Somehow, Magic Wand, Thoughts Of June, Savethelastdance and Minnie Hauk.

The Ballydoyle maestro is double-handed in his bid for a tenth success in the contest, having declared the impeccably-bred pair Amelia Earhart and Sugar Island.

Amelia Earhart, a seven-length winner of a Leopardstown mile maiden in October on her last start, is a Coolmore homebred by Camelot, another sire renowned for passing on stamina, and out of Irish Oaks runner-up Venus De Milo, by Duke Of Marmalade. That makes her a full-sister to Cleveland, whose finest hour in his native Europe came in victory in the Chester Cup at the Chester May Meeting.

Sugar Island, last seen winning the Staffordstown Stud Stakes over a mile at the Curragh last October, is meanwhile a Dubawi half-sister to Mother Nature, who was a Group 3 runner-up over 12 furlongs, out of Heaven On Earth, a winning Galileo full-sister to two Oaks heroines in Minding and Tuesday and a third Classic scorer in Empress Josephine. She was bred by Westerberg and is owned by that operation in partnership with Coolmore.

History suggests that Ballydoyle residents Amelia Earhart and Sugar Island could develop into stars no matter where they finish in this race. O’Brien saddled Forever Together to finish second to stablemate Magic Wand in 2018, and she went on to win the Oaks at Epsom, while his other former fillies Above The Curve and Port Fairy also went on to bigger things after being runners-up here.

The field for this year’s Cheshire Oaks is completed by exciting lightly raced novice stakes winners A La Prochaine and Winged One. The former is trained by Ralph Beckett, who sent out Forest Fairy to win this race two years ago, and the latter is with Andrew Balding, who is aiming for a maiden victory in the prestigious Classic trial.

A La Prochaine was bred by Ecurie du Sud and Ecurie Gribomont. She is by Lope De Vega, whose progeny are often a little too sharp for true middle-distance tests, but she is a half-sister to Mr Hollywood, who finished second in the two most important races in Germany, the Deutsches Derby and Grosser Preis von Baden, which offers some reassurance about her stamina. The only auction purchase in the field, she was sourced by Blandford Bloodstock at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 550,000gns.

Winged One, who carries the colours of her breeder George Strawbridge, is by Australia, whose son Lambourn last year struck in the Chester Vase at the May Meeting before notching the Anglo-Irish Derby double at Epsom and the Curragh. She is out of Angel Terrace, a Grade 3-winning Ghostzapper half-sister to champion stayer Order Of St George, who is by Australia’s sire Galileo. She should not be found wanting in the stamina department, at least.

Those five fillies make up the smallest field for the Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks for a long time, but while the race is low on numbers it is high in intrigue. It will be fascinating to see whether I’m The One can maintain her towering reputation, whether O’Brien can extend his record in the race even further, or whether a new talent is revealed.

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