Racing

Secret Gesture to miss out on Darley’s Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Saturday

Talent and Riposte head the betting for lucrative feature

Tom Queally riding Riposte (L) lands the Ribblesdale Stakes on Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot in June. Photo: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
Tom Queally riding Riposte (L) lands the Ribblesdale Stakes on Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot in June. Photo: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
Thu Jul 18 2013 - 01:00

Investec Oaks runner-up Secret Gesture will not run in the Darley-sponsored equivalent at the Curragh on Saturday after suffering a setback.

The Galileo filly was part of a memorable day at Epsom for trainer Ralph Beckett as she followed home her stablemate Talent, three and three-quarter lengths in arrears. Beckett tweeted: "Secret Gesture will not run in the Irish Oaks, she has picked up a knock on a hind leg, which will take a few days to recover from."

Secret Gesture had previously won the Oaks Trial at Lingfield in some style.

Beckett can still call on Talent for the Curragh showpiece, for which she is 5-2 joint-favourite with the Lady Cecil-trained Riposte.

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The latter was supplemented on Monday at a cost of €40,000 and has been popular in the ante-post market with a number of firms

Coral's David Stevens said: "Riposte has been well-backed in the last 24 hours to give Lady Cecil what would be an emotional first Classic success, and she now shares favouritism with the Epsom winner Talent."

Riposte and Talent are the 11-4 joint-favourite with Paddy Power, who said: "Riposte looked very good when winning the Ribblesdale and punters are clearly hearing Lady Cecil who says that the filly has come on again since."

Ben Condon is monitoring ground conditions closely before deciding whether to commit Bold Thady Quill to Saturday’s Invesco Pension Consultants Minstrel Stakes.

The local trainer admits he would like to run the six-year-old in the Group Three contest over seven furlongs, but he will not risk the gelding if he feels the going is too quick. Should Bold Thady Quill not turn up, Condon said he will look instead to the Listed Platinum Stakes over a mile at Cork early next month.

“It’s only 50-50 he runs at this stage. He’s a horse that shows his best form on slow ground,” said Condon. “They are watering and we’ll see how it is when the race is declared. He’s in great form and we’d like to run him, but we want to do the right thing by him. “If we feel by the end of the week the ground is very quick, we will probably wait . . . .”