RACING:THE SCENE is set for a potentially fascinating rematch between Europe's two top-rated juvenile fillies, Maybe and La Collina, in Sunday's Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh.
Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten Maybe, already favourite for next year’s 1,000 Guineas, beat La Collina at Leopardstown in July despite conceding 3lb, but her old rival has since sprung a 33 to 1 shock in the Phoenix Stakes.
On the same day Maybe was also impressive in the traditional Moyglare trial, the Debutante Stakes, and will renew rivalry with Kevin Prendergast’s star over the same seven-furlong track in this weekend’s €225,000 highlight.
A total of 18 runners remained in the Moyglare after yesterday’s forfeit stage including a single cross-channel hope in Mick Channon’s Albany Stakes winner, Samitar. Channon was a Moyglare winner in 2002 with Mail The Desert.
However, handicap figures indicate there could be another square up between Maybe and La Collina and it is the latter who is officially rated superior with a rating of 114, a lb more than her old rival.
“They are the highest rated two-year-old fillies in Europe at the moment. We have given La Collina credit for beating colts in the Phoenix Stakes even though she has to reverse previous form with Maybe and will have to run off level weights,” the Turf Club’s handicapper Garry O’Gorman said yesterday.
“However, it would be wrong to assume on the basis of the ratings that we expect La Collina to come out on top. But they definitely have above-average ratings for this time of the year,” he added.
Bookmakers seemed to agree with that yesterday and installed Maybe an evens favourite to record a sixth Moyglare success for Aidan O’Brien. La Collina is a 7 to 2 shot with Paddy Power and Samitar is 8 to 1.
Yellow Rosebud and Rubina, second and fourth to Maybe in the Debutante, could be back too for another crack at the Classic favourite while David Wachman, a Moyglare winner with Again, may again pull out his Lowther Stakes runner-up, Fire Lily.
The latter also holds an entry in the Group Three Round Tower Stakes on the same card, along with last weekend’s Listed scorer, An Ghalanta, while the Wachman team could also be represented in the Dance Design Stakes by last year’s Park Stakes heroine, Chrysanthemum. A total of 28 entries remain in the Dance Design including the 2010 Moyglare third Kissable.
Ground conditions at the Curragh yesterday were officially “good” on the straight course while it was “good to firm” on the round track.
A total of nine of the 17 possibles for the Group Three Flying Five Stakes are British-trained including Henry Candy’s Amour Propre while Brendan Duke’s impressive Cork winner on Monday, Roicead, has been supplemented into the race.
