The Irish Oaks (Group 1)

The Blue Wind Stakes at Naas on the 16th May may provide the key here. It was won by Princess Highway with Aarass second and Was third. Dermot Weld resisted the Epsom Oaks preferring to wait for the Ribblesdale at the royal meeting for his filly while Aidan O’Brien sent Was across the pond to Epsom.

They both won their races in the case of Was by a neck from Sirocco Star with The Fugue a 1/2 L back in third. In the case of Princess Highway by 6 L over the Fugue with Sirocco Star a short head behind. That form says the Moyglare filly improved more than Was from the Blue Wind run and therefore justifies favouritism here.

John Gosden doesn’t rely on The Fugue instead sending his Lancashire Oaks winner Great Heavens to the Curragh. She’s a nice filly on the improve having also won her two previous outings this year. She’s also a full sister to Nathaniel whose brave run at Ascot today will quite rightly only encourage connections.

Hughie Morrison who had a winner at Ascot today also travels with Sirocco Star. She’s held by both Irish fillies on her runs in the Oaks and Ribblesdale and he’ll hope she can at least get closer now.

The market makers dismiss the chances of Eddie Lynam’s Colliding Worlds and also Twirl and Devotion whom are viewed as pacemakers. Colliding Worlds will certainly be a surprise and some training feat. This will be only her third run. First time out at Navan she learnt and went to Leopardstown to win a maiden over 1m1f on soft in good style. This is a huge step up.

The same is not the case for the other Ballydoyle fillies. Both are well bred especially Twirl by Galileo(as is Was and Great Heavens) and a full sister to Misty For Me. Devotion ran tenth in the Oaks with Twirl just behind in eleventh. The nature of the Epsom track, undulations, twists, turns and camber mean a lot of fillies can’t handle it and so both are well worth another try here.

Twirl was our selection in the Musodora, beaten 4 L by The Fugue and also in the Oaks. Like AOB we won’t give up on her yet hopping she’ll reproduce the turn of foot she showed when cutting through the pack on her debut to finish third last October at Leopardstown and winning her maiden the following week on the last day of the flat season.

There’s another Group 1 on in Hoppegarten, the Grosser Preis Von Berlin over 1m4f also. Expect Meandre to build on his win in the Grand Prix De Saint Cloud where he had Shareta, Galikova and Danedream (winner of today’s King George as advised here) in behind.

Recommendations

The Irish Oaks – Twirl 20/1 win

The Grosser Preis Von Berlin – Meandre Best available odds