Epsom heroine Minnie Hauk is all the rage to provide Aidan O’Brien with an eighth victory in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks on Saturday.
Alexandrova (2006), Peeping Fawn (2007), Snowfall (2021) and Savethelastdance (2023) are among the Ballydoyle handler’s previous winners of the Curragh Classic and he is responsible for four of the six runners in this year’s renewal.
The undoubted star of the show is Minnie Hauk, who six weeks ago got the better of a thrilling Epsom Oaks duel with stablemate Whirl, a subsequent Group One winner in the Pretty Polly Stakes.
Speaking earlier this week, O’Brien said: “Minnie Hauk has been fine since Epsom, she had a little break and everything has been good since.”
The biggest threat to the odds-on favourite appears to be Joseph O’Brien’s s Wemightakedlongway, who was just over five lengths behind Minnie Hauk when fourth at Epsom and then looked a little outpaced when occupying the same finishing position in the Pretty Polly.
“We are looking forward to running Wemightakedlongway. There is some rain forecast and any rain that falls we think might help her chances,” said O’Brien junior.
Johnny Murtagh, who rode a record six Irish Oaks winners during his illustrious career in the saddle, is represented by Subsonic. The Lope De Vega filly remains a maiden after two starts, but was only half a length behind Minnie Hauk on her on her Leopardstown debut in October.
The field is completed by Fozzy Stack’s 85-rated outsider Bay Colony.
