RACING NEWS ROUND-UP:BEAUTY O'GWAUN may be keeping the extent of her ability a secret even from her trainer John Oxx but she apparently remains the main hope of a successful home defence in Sunday's Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh.
Ante-post betting on the €500,000 classic is being dominated by the Epsom Oaks first and second, Sariska and Midday, who were separated by a head at the end of a titanic struggle last month.
Midday was supplemented into the Curragh race yesterday at a cost of €50,000 after an impressive morning work-out at Newmarket watched by her trainer Henry Cecil who reported: “She went nicely and seems in good order. This will give us plenty of time through to Sunday’s race.”
Nevertheless Sariska has been installed a 4 to 5 favourite with Paddy Power to become the fourth filly in the last decade to bring off the Epsom-Curragh double. Midday is rated a 3 to 1 second best.
A dozen entries remain in the Oaks after yesterday’s forfeit stage and the unbeaten Beauty O’Gwaun is rated the best of the nine Irish hopes. Powers make the Rainbow Quest filly a 9 to 2 third favourite.
A narrow winner over Festival Princess on her sole start of the season to date in the Blue Wind Stakes at Naas in May, Beauty O’Gwaun skipped Epsom for a variety of reasons but Oxx has confirmed her an intended starter on Sunday.
“We didn’t think she had enough experience for Epsom and after winning at Naas we rated that performance at something like 105 which meant she would have had to improve a lot. I also wasn’t sure the demanding track at Epsom would suit so we decided to wait for the Curragh and hope she would improve,” the Curragh trainer said yesterday.
“She may well have improved, but we don’t know if she has or not. She is a very ordinary worker at home, doesn’t send out any signals at all. She is well in herself and all the rest of it but her work is still the same so it’s hard to know with her.
“There is a possibility she could run in blinkers. We will discuss that. We will have to wait and see if she is in this league but it is worth giving her the chance,” Oxx added.
Beauty O’Gwaun’s stable companion Roses For The Lady has also been left in the race but mainly as a precaution in case ground conditions turn heavy.
The going at the Curragh yesterday was officially “yielding to soft” but weather conditions are set to improve over the next few days.
That is certainly the hope among the Midday camp and Lord Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Prince Khaled Abdullah, said: “The forecast is good until Saturday and we don’t know if there will be more rain or not. By the sounds of it, the going will be good or just on the easy side of good which will be acceptable.”
He also warned against any presumption among the visitors and said: “There is no such thing as a two-horse race. We have got a head to find with Sariska but it is going to be interesting.”
A progressive filly is Dermot Weld’s Grace O’Malley who landed a Group Three at Cork on her last start and who will attempt to secure her trainer a third win in the Oaks after Dance Design (1996) and Blue Wind 28 years ago.
Aidan O’Brien has won the last three Oaks renewals and can pick from a double entry of Roman Empress and Chirkova.
The champion trainer has five of the 17 entries remaining in Sunday’s main support event, the Group Three Jebel Ali Racecourse Anglesey Stakes, including Horatio Nelson’s brother, Viscount Nelson, who was placed on his Curragh debut and Emperor Claudius who was runner up in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
IRISH OAKS BETTING: (Paddy Power): 4-5 Sariska, 3 Midday, 9-2 Beauty O'Gwaun, 14 Grace O'Malley, 20 Roses For The Lady and Oh Goodness Me, 33 Roman Empress, 40 Chirkova and The Miniver Rose, 200 Bar.
