RACING:MAYBE CAN atone for her 1,000 Guineas defeat at Newmarket by presenting Aidan O'Brien with his first victory in the Investec Oaks at Epsom since 2006. O'Brien last triumphed with Alexandrova some six years ago and while he has hit the bar on a couple of occasions since, Maybe is the one to break the drought.

The Ballydoyle inmate needed the run at Newmarket, which was her first start since last August, so it was perhaps forgivable that she never quite fired as many had expected.

Joseph O’Brien’s partner travelled well enough, but stablemate Homecoming Queen had long bolted by the time she crossed the line in third, some 10 lengths adrift of the winner.

Racing rarely forgets, so it is understandable many wise observers cannot be having her for love nor money in a genuinely exceptional renewal of the Oaks.

After all, the Guineas form is now looking porous after Starscope, the runner-up, floundered in Listed company, while Homecoming Queen and the fifth home, La Collina, struggled in the Irish Classic at the weekend.

The Fugue, however, has at least rubber-stamped Maybe’s credentials with a terrific display in the Musidora to augment her fourth-placed finish in the Guineas.

She looks a massive player in the Oaks, with the likes of Vow and the supplemented Kailani deeply respected.

Preference is still for Maybe, who has been there and done it in Group One company and is a far more streetwise animal than most of her rivals in Surrey.

With five wins from six starts, such resilient qualities could come in very handy when it comes to tackling the complex Epsom circuit, which has proved the nemesis of many potentially great horses over the years.

Plenty of jockeys have also come unstuck on the Downs, so there is simply no room for complacency from Joseph O’Brien, who rides hot Derby favourite Camelot 24 hours later.

O’Brien jnr has his fingers crossed Maybe will last home when she steps up to a mile and a half. The 19-year-old is excited at the prospect of partnering the daughter of Galileo, who heads a strong team of fillies from his father’s stable in the fillies’ Classic.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to her. She ran a good race to finish third in the Guineas, just ahead of The Fugue, so on that form she’d have to have a big chance. The trip is obviously a massive question mark. She’s stepping up from a mile to a mile and a half and half a mile is a long way.

“After riding her at Newmarket, I’d like to think she’ll stay further than a mile, but whether she’ll get the mile and a half or not is another thing.

“It’s hard to know what kind of improvement there will be. Some horses improve for a step up in trip – some horses go backwards – so we’ll just have to see.

“She’s a Group One-winning filly and hopefully she can run a big race.”

O’Brien snr, who has won the Oaks three times, has declared five other fillies – Betterbetterbetter, Devotion, Kissed, Twirl and Was.

Ryan Moore won on Snow Fairy two years ago and is hoping Kissed gets the go-ahead . . . she will only run if the Coolmore team deem conditions are suitable.

“My logic is that if Aidan thinks the ground is suitable, then I think she will have a big chance of winning,” the jockey said yesterday.

“Clearly, her high knee action suggests she needs to get her toe in. But Andrew Cooper is the best clerk of the course in the country, and he will provide beautiful ground at Epsom on Friday.

“And I think Kissed is tailor-made for the race. I think she is a high-class filly. Being drawn 14 of 14 isn’t ideal, though. I would prefer to be drawn in the middle. But it’s my job to solve that problem. I just hope that I get the chance.”

The Fugue’s trainer John Gosden is optimistic she will stay. “She’s tough, she came out of the Guineas well and it’s not normal to go quickly back like that, but she went up to York and I thought she ran a lovely race.

“The mother (Twyla Tharp) was by a stallion more known for his stamina, but Dansili seems to get them to go anything from a mile to a mile and a half, so hopefully that side of the family comes through and she gets the trip well.”

William Haggas saddled Dancing Rain to take the glory 12 months ago and has a leading fancy this time in Vow, unbeaten winner of the Lingfield Oaks Trial, but it’s hard to look beyond Maybe.