Taghrooda was an impressive winner of the Oaks on day one of the Derby Festival, maintaining her unbeaten record by three and three-quarter lengths from a field of 16. She provided her jockey, the former champion Paul Hanagan, with a first Classic success.

While still on horseback, Hanagan dedicated the victory to the trainer John Hills, who died on Sunday aged 53. Although not involved in the training of Taghrooda, Hills was among the trainers used by her owner, Sheikh Hamdan, and Hanagan described him as “a big part of the team”.

Hills’s brother, Richard, who is an adviser to Sheikh Hamdan, having been his retained jockey for many years, was the first to greet Taghrooda after she slowed to a walk. He told the Channel 4 cameras that John had wished him luck for the Oaks only the previous week.

Sheikh Hamdan’s enormous breeding operation has not delivered in recent years so well as it had in the past and this was his first European Group One success since Bethrah in the Irish 1,000 Guineas four years ago. But the corner appears to have been turned, since his famed blue and white colours were also carried by the runner-up, Tarfasha.

This was a key moment for Hanagan, for whom the job with Sheikh Hamdan promised the chance of big-race success when he was appointed after Hills’s retirement two years ago. Despite his two championship titles, he still has his doubters and his strike-rate at Epsom in recent years has been just 5%.

That said, he has had few opportunities in the very best races; this was his first Oaks ride and he has had only one in the Derby, when fifth in 2012. He will be unable to improve on that record this year, as he has no ride in Saturday’s Classic and will be in action at Doncaster instead.

“It’s just nice to give something back,” he said. “I’m so pleased for Sheikh Hamdan and all the team.”

Taghrooda is trained by John Gosden, winning his second Classic of the year after Kingman’s success in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. This was the Newmarket man’s first Oaks success, though he noted that The Fugue had been unlucky in the 2012 race. He now needs only to win the 2,000 Guineas to have a full set of British Classics. Rather unkindly, a press release at the course early on Friday described Gosden as the “least successful trainer” in the Oaks, having previously fielded nine beaten runners.

Gosden praised Hanagan for getting Taghrooda back on to the right leg at a critical point of Tattenham Corner, after she had been bumped and thrown on to the wrong leg. He nominated the Irish Oaks as the filly’s next target. Gosden will be represented by Western Hymn and Romsdal in the Derby.

Volume was third behind Taghrooda, just ahead of Inchila and Ihtimal. Marvellous, sent off favourite after her Irish 1,000 Guineas success, was sixth. Frankie Dettori finished last aboard Amazing Maria.