The Irish Oaks is a coveted Group 1 which sets off at the Curragh this weekend as Aidan O’Brien once again trains the favourite.
This race is contested over 1m4f for three-year-old fillies where €285,000 awaits the winner for which there’s 18 runners still entered in.
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Curragh racing tips
- Irish Oaks, 3.40: Hanalia 16/1 Each-way
Irish Oaks Preview
Port Fairy, trained by Aidan O’Brien, is the clear favourite despite the large field, but the renewal is not as strong as it could have been with many top runners ruled out earlier this week.
The O’Brien-trained filly beat Lava Stream in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot and clearly has more to offer going forward.
But there’s a few top fillies who are looking to beat the odds.
O’Brien has won this seven times in the last 18 renewals including a hattrick of wins after his first Oaks winner in 2006.
The Irish trainer also won with Savesthelastdance last year which was jockey Ryan Moore’s third Oaks victory.
There have been some classy winners of this race over the years, including Enable back in 2017.
Top Irish jumps trainer Willie Mullins might have something to say about this year’s Oaks though, with a rare Group 1 runner Lope De Lilas.
Who is another recent purchase from Wathnan Racing who had huge successes at Royal Ascot with an even bigger frivolous scoop of acquisitions over the last couple of months.
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Lope De Lilas placed fifth on debut but when upped to 1m2f running for the first time as a three-year-old won by over two lengths at Leopardstown in a maiden fillies contest.
Hanalia
There’s expected to be some showers from late on Friday night all the way through to the Saturday afternoon at the Curragh, which could benefit a few.
War Chimes is one that doesn’t mind a bit of softer ground and she stepped up to 1m4f for the first time at the Oaks at Epsom in May only being beaten by Ezeliya and Dance Sequence.
Lava Stream was just a neck second when 20/1 at Royal Ascot behind the favourite Port Fairy.
That was also her first run over 1m4f and it was on good to firm ground.
Yet, she’s won on good to soft and heavy ground, so she could be one to keep on side at a rather large price considering how close she came to beating the now clear favourite.
Ejaabiyah is a dangerously unexposed filly trained by Roger Varian.
She’s by Frankel so the step up to 1m4f should suit nicely and her effort behind Diamond Rain bumped her up in the ratings, but that form didn’t quite work out with 1st and 3rd in that race not going well behind Port Fairy next time.
She could be the one to benefit from the new trip though but tough to back on the form lines.
Hanalia won the Oaks Trial at Naas though, despite being held up in last for much of the race.
She then angled out on the straight and reeled them all in which gives her a great shout here alongside Greenfinch who ran on with Hanalia in the trial last month.
Tom Lunn’s Profit/Loss
- P/L from May ’24: +113.49pts
- P/L from July ’23: +326.05pts
All odds correct at time of writing
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