The Coronation Cup (G1) offered the chance of Epsom redemption and it was Emily Upjohn who seized it with a dazzling success June 2 under Frankie Dettori.
Wow - Emily Upjohn is back!
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 2, 2023
The star filly makes a triumphant return and earns Epsom redemption in a second Group 1 success, landing the @Dahlbury Coronation Cup for John and Thady Gosden and @FrankieDettori #DerbyFestival | @EpsomRacecourse pic.twitter.com/pNJfWs9jyV
She came agonizingly close to winning last year's Oaks (G1) and did well to take second behind Tuesday after giving up ground when stumbling out of the stalls.
Her return trip to Epsom on her seasonal reappearance proved to be far more straightforward as she powered a length and three-quarters clear of Westover.
"It's been a long old wait," said joint-trainer John Gosden immediately after the group 1, before adding: "She did it beautifully and was only just ready to run.
"We had planned to go to Dubai but she didn't come to herself in the spring. She probably hit the front a little soon and had a really good blow after the race.
"The Oaks went wrong last year and that's history. She showed plenty of pace in the early part of that race and did it again in the autumn on soft ground."
After defeat in the Oaks, Emily Upjohn finished last of six in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) before bouncing back at Ascot in October.
"Everything went wrong in the King George," said Dettori, after winning his sixth Coronation Cup. "She was too keen and just stopped breathing.
"We were then on a bit of a recovery mission and she won the (British Champions) Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) at Ascot. The key is trying to get her to relax a bit more."
Reflecting on the performance, he added: "It was a great performance. They went a decent gallop and she settled well, which she didn't do in the King George.
"I had her in a nice rhythm and I know she stays well, while she's a big girl, so I had to get her prepared from a long way out but, God, she took off."
Emily Upjohn was cut to 5-1 (from 8) for the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot and 7-2 (from 12) for the Coral-Eclipse Stakes (G1) at Sandown by Paddy Power.
After back-to-back group 1 victories, Gosden indicated he slightly favored the Eclipse, while his connections have lofty ambitions later in the season.
Jon Shack, who owns the winner alongside the Lloyd Webbers and Stuart Roden, said: "Last year people said we were unlucky, but we were living the dream.
"My childhood dream has always been the Arc. I watched it in 1971 with my grandparents on their black-and-white TV when Mill Reef won with Geoff Lewis."
While he may not have caught the winner Desert Crown, traffic problems deprived Westover of a clear run when he finished third in last season's Derby (G1).
"I thought it was a really good effort today," said Ralph Beckett. "He's been beaten by a filly who has come here at the top of her game and is very good.
"Westover just didn't have the pace Emily Upjohn had but he's finished seven lengths clear of the third Point Lonsdale and it was a good performance."
On his future targets, the trainer added: "He gets every yard of a mile and a half and we'll maybe think about going further. There's lots of things we can do."
Point Lonsdale, who won the Huxley Stakes (G2) last time, could meet Emily Upjohn in the Hardwicke Stakes before a potential tilt at the King George.
His trainer Aidan O'Brien said: "He might have preferred for someone to carry him into the race for a bit longer.
"Ryan (Moore) just said he got a bit lonely when he was in front in the straight. We know he's a lazy type.
"Because he did so little racing last season, we're still learning about him and that's his first time at the trip. We're happy with him."
