THE high regard in which Pleascach is held was evident last summer when she made her debut in the Group 3 Grancecon Stud Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh, so it was no surprise to see her win easily at odds-on over a furlong further at Leopardstown next time, even if it was only four days later.

She was not seen out again until last month when she chased home Bocca Baciata in the Listed Salsabil Stakes over 10 furlongs at Navan, and she was odds-on for the Group 3 Irish National Stud European Breeders Fund Blue Wind Stakes over the same trip at Naas 10 days ago.

Her main rival that evening was Zannda, runner-up in the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes on her previous start and, at the time of writing, available at around 20/1 for the Group 1 Investec Oaks.

With the way she trounced that Azamour (by Night Shift) filly by eight and a half lengths, Pleascach looks like a serious candidate for that classic, should she make the journey.

Will she stay 12 furlongs?

She represents the fourth crop of the juvenile star Teofilo (by Sadler’s Wells) and as that Kildangan Stud stallion has a roll of honour that features the tragically ill-fated Group 1 Irish Derby scorer Trading Leather, and the Group 1 Irish St Leger heroine Voleuse De Coeurs, there is every reason to hope that, with the right family, any of his progeny can handle that distance.

Pleascach is the second foal out of Toirneach who won over 10 furlongs but was well-beaten on her two tries over 12.

The mare is, however, a daughter of Thunder Gulch (by Gulch) and that 1995 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes hero is also the sire of the 2001 Belmont Stakes champion Point Given.

Current pattern winners representing daughters of Thunder Gulch also include the recent Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks heroine Lovely Maria (by Majesticperfection), fellow US nine furlong Grade 1 scorer Mshawish (by Medaglia d’Oro), and last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Bayern (by Offlee Wild), but also Delago’s Secret (by Encosta De Lago) who won a Group 2 contest over a mile and a half at Ellerslie, in New Zealand, on New Year’s Day.

One would expect, therefore, that a horse representing a Teofilo-Thunder Gulch cross would have prospects of staying the Oaks distance.

Thunder Gulch’s many talented offspring also include multi-millionaire and 2000 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff star Spain.

She is the dam of the Grade 1-placed nine furlong pattern scorer Plan (by Storm Cat) and also of the mile listed scorer and Group 1 Fillies’ Mile third Dreamtheimpossible (by Giant’s Causeway), and she is relevant here as both she and Toirneach are out of daughters of a winning mare called Wandering Lace (by Private Account).

That mare is, in turn, out of Shujinsky (by Nijinsky), whose full-brother Manzotti set a track record when winning a Grade 3 contest over 10 furlongs at Pimlico as a five-year-old, and she is a direct descendant of the Coaching Club American Oaks heroine Levee (by Hill Prince). That famous race was over 11 furlongs when she took the honours in 1956.

Levee, who is the sixth dam of Pleascach, was the dam of US Hall Of Fame member, dual champion, and 1969 US Fillies’ Triple Crown star Shuvee (by Nashua), and the CCA Oaks was run over 10 furlongs that year.

But back to the more recent relations.

Wandering Pine (by Country Pine) and Drina (by Royal And Regal) are, respectively, the dams of Toirneach and Spain, and the more notable racehorse of the pair is Drina. She won 11 times times in the USA, including a nine-furlong listed contest, Spain is one of her four stakes winning progeny, and two of the others are horses that offer further support to the hypothesis that Pleascach can stay the Oaks trip.

Fantastic Spain (by Fantastic Fellow) won a Grade 3 contest over 11 furlongs on turf at the age seven, and the races that his half-brother Puerto Banus (by Supremo) won include the Grade 2 San Luis Obispo Handicap and the Grade 2 Sunset Handicap, both over a mile and a half.

Post-race comments from Pleacach’s trainer and breeder Jim Bolger indicated the possibility that the filly might bypass Epsom but tackle 12 furlongs instead in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and in the Group 1 Irish Oaks.

Her big-race entries also include the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes, over 10 furlongs, and the way she won at Naas suggests that she is potentially a top-class filly who could play a prominent role wherever she goes.