Juddmonte Irish Oaks (Group 1)

IF you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. Ralph Beckett took the first option as he stood in disbelief with Juddmonte general manager Barry Mahon back in the parade ring after the Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the a sodden Curragh last Saturday.

Like everyone else, the British trainer had just witnessed an extraordinary race. He saw his filly Bluestocking come with a withering run under Colin Keane. It seemed like it took them an age to get on top of the front-running Library and Gavin Ryan, but once they did, it looked all ends up that a classic was secured, before Savethelastdance (10/11 favourite) and Ryan Moore came back from the brink.

Aidan O’Brien’s filly was one of the first under pressure from her position of third place heading into the straight. She got into a barging match with Azazat, and together with that filly faded further back, and when Bluestocking and Keane swept by them, it was game over, illustrated by a rooftop price of 999/1 on the Betfair exchange.

But Moore and Savethelastdance somehow summoned a second effort, and so powerful was their second wind, they got back up to win by all of half a length, much to the astonishment of those who braved the elements on a wet and windy day at the Curragh.

Remotivate

“Ryan gave her a brilliant ride, to remotivate her, incredible,” O’Brien said. “He saw when she was in a little bit of trouble and he kept her moving forward without panicking and then got her out, then asked her to come again, and it’s a very difficult thing to remotivate a horse in that ground, but she answered for him.

“It was a long time since she ran. She had a break after Epsom and this was her first run back for an autumn campaign. Obviously the ground was way different to what she had the last time and Chris’ filly (Hayes on Azazat) came up and came around her just as she was starting to get going and might have intimidated her.”

Beckett was most sporting in defeat, especially after what must have felt like a gut punch.

“We were beaten by a better filly,” he said. “I couldn’t believe how well it was going - maybe that was the problem! It was a great run, I’m thrilled with her. She got a perfect ride, he (Colin Keane) hit the front inside the distance, didn’t go too soon and we just got beaten by a better filly.”

The feature contest was the highlight of an O’Brien and Moore treble, which was completed in the very next race by Emily Dickinson (6/4 favourite), who revelled in the soft ground and a return to a mile and six furlongs to get back to winning ways in the Comer Group International Curragh Cup.

Held up back in midfield off what looked a strong pace, the daughter of Dubawi and previous Irish Oaks winner Chicquita responded generously to pressure in the straight to challenge on the outside of her main market rival Rosscarbery, who travelled smoothly up to front rank but ultimately had no answer once passed.

Paddy Twomey’s mare would have been an impressive winner without Emily Dickinson, but ultimately trailed her by three lengths so it looked a fair performance by the winner, who could go to the Goodwood Cup now.

“The original plan was to go straight to the Goodwood Cup but when the ground changed, we said we’d take our chance,” O’Brien disclosed.

“Ryan gave her a beautiful ride, got her very confident, she loves the ground, loves being ridden like that. He said with that ease in the ground, she’s a different filly.

“We could still go to Goodwood now. Back over two miles, if the ground came up with an ease, she’d be right there.”

Earlier, Henry Longfellow got O’Brien and Moore off to the perfect start in the Juddmonte Irish EBF Maiden, leading home a one-two-three for Aidan O’Brien, with Mythology and Master Of The Hunt taking the minor placings.

The son of Dubawi and Minding raced prominently, took it up from Mythology after the two-furlong pole and quickly opened up a comfortable advantage which he maintained under very little pressure to the line.

ART Power (6/5 favourite) and the Curragh, a perfect combination. Tim Easterby’s six-year-old made it four wins from four runs at the track with another impressive victory, this time his success coming over five furlongs, in the Group 2 Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes.

Bouncing out in front for rider David Allan, the King Power Racing-owned gelding was always travelling well within himself, and put the race to bed just inside the two-furlong pole, coming right away from Ado McGuinness’ Got Athletico who eventually won the battle for second.

Allan, admitted afterwards that the drop back to five furlongs was a worry (only his fourth run over the distance in three years), but that he was still able to prove so dominant was significant, as it opens the door for the Group 1 Flying Five which could easily be run on similarly soft ground later in the season. A top level success has so far eluded the grey.

Allan said: “It was only bringing him back to five was the only issue but I’ve always been confident five would be okay for him as long as the ground was soft enough and today was right up his street.

“He has run well in Group 1s in England, but he’s just not got to it yet, but if he gets proper soft ground, there is still time for him, he’s not going anywhere yet.”

British-trained runners have an excellent record in all the top sprints in Ireland and with just two runners in the Paddy Power Scurry Handicap, they emerged victorious again, with Richard Fahey’s Strike Red (7/1) blasting home to claim Aussie Girl.

Richard Fahey’s gelding was kept to close to the near side rail by Billy Garrity and had no trouble getting a gap when needed. He hit the front inside the final furlong and repelled a second challenge from the game Aussie Girl, who had led for most of the contest.

“I was confident,” the winning rider said. “The guv’nor said you have a good draw, coming down the stands’ side. I didn’t think Ripon (second on his previous run) really suited him. The ground was a little bit quick that day. When he gets there he probably doesn’t do a lot, he pricks his ears a little bit, but it’s great in the big runner handicaps, he enjoys it.”

MICHAEL O’Callaghan bought, owns and trains Kairyu (4/1) so it was a real result for him in the Group 3 Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes when the €80,000 breeze-up purchase came through under Colin Keane to make it two wins from two starts.

A Naas maiden winner, the daughter of Kuroshio was warm in the betting beforehand, and travelled noticeably well into the race, just as she did at Naas. She was in danger of getting boxed in just inside the two pole, but as it transpired Keane felt the gap came too early for her as when she hit the front, she drifted left to the inside rail. She was always holding the favourite though, who came off the bridle much earlier than expected before running on.

“She looks very smart,” O’Callaghan beamed. “Colin said she doesn’t want that ground, it was plenty soft. He feels she has a savage turn of foot, but he said the gaps sort of came too early for him. She went left because she got a bit lonely - that was the only reason for that.

“He feels that she relaxes so well, she’ll have no problem getting seven furlongs. We might look at something like the Lowther for her now.”

The first nursery of the season went in impressive fashion to David Marnane’s Jakajaro (15/2), who bolted up off a mark of 74 in the six-furlong La Celia Wines Sprint Nursery.

The MRC International-owned son of Too Darn Hot, raced prominently towards the near side, was pushed up to lead at the two-furlong marker before bolting clear under Luke McAteer, who could ease him down close to the line, with still just under five lengths back to the runner-up Sanshiro.

“We’ve always liked him, always thought he’d win a maiden,” Marnane said. “He was good the first day and then the second day here, he just lost the plot. We brought him back to Fairyhouse, dropped him in and he settled, probably didn’t appreciate the quick ground but stayed on well, and came home well.

“This was always the plan and when the ground got softer, we were delighted. I don’t know what he’ll get to, but he’s a 90 plus horse every day of the week.”

The closing contest featured a well deserved win for Jim Bolger’s Machnamh (7/4 favourite), who stuck to her task well to see off the late challenge of Dagoda and win at the seventh time of asking.

The Jackie Bolger-owned filly had previously finished second to the well touted Farnborough at Limerick and perhaps her experience came into play with conditions deteriorating. Her trainer thinks she can progress further and is capable of attaining blacktype.