Mad About You the interesting one in Oaks line-up
Ultimately, the Irish Derby a couple of weeks back proved largely disappointing. On his performance at Epsom previously Frozen Fire had no chance and you suspect, although time can really only tell us, that this was less than a vintage renewal.
In contrast the Oaks has a classy sort of appearance, although the absence of Epsom heroine Look Here and Lush Lashes are minor irritations
It seems as if Moonstone, Katiyra and Mad About You are all going to run and that’s almost as good as it gets.
Cashmans were the first to price up the race and put Lush Lashes in as their 2-1 favourite. Jim Bolger, however, decided against supplementing her on Tuesday.
Moonstone and Katiyra both finished in front of Lush Lashes at Epsom, in second and third places respectively, behind look Here.
They have massive scope for improvement. Moonstone, only having the third run of her life and unraced as a juvenile, was doing all her best work at the end.
Katiyra too was only having a third ever race and was definitely unsuited by the course. She lost her position at around half way and had less than a clear run in the straight.
Which brings us to Dermot Weld’s Mad About You, who might well come into her own moving up to 12 furlongs for the first time.
She is by Indian Ridge, so will relish any cut in the ground, out of Irresistible Jewel. Now Irresistible Jewel, who was also trained by Weld, stayed really well, winning the mile and a half Ribblesdale Stakes at Ascot.
Mad About You is the one horse who has more than exercised the mind of her canny handler since the very start of the campaign.
I thought her second to the four-year-old Promising Lead, in the Pretty Polly at the Curragh, was a major Oaks trial.
She finished four and a half lengths clear of the five-year-old Anna Pavlova, who strolled to victory at Haydock last Saturday.
Any of the three horses we’ve mentioned could win, but the 10-1 offered by Cashmans earlier in the week, regarding Mad About You, just seemed, at least to this observer, excessively generous!
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I KNOW we waffled on about Johnny Murtagh a couple of weeks back, but wasn’t he brilliant aboard Mount Nelson in the Eclipse at Sandown?
The way he sat off the pace, until good and ready to put the colt into the contest, was classic Murtagh.
We’ve said it before and, hopefully, will have cause to say it again many times in the future, but his secret is keeping it simple and uncomplicated.
Mount Nelson scored by a short head, didn’t have another ounce under the saddle, but those margins in your favour do not happen by accident.
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THIS new so-called Sovereign Series in England, announced last week, isn’t half proving controversial.
Essentially, it is a £10m initiative, centring on bringing ten Group 1 races into the mainstream of British sport.
When reading about it first, felt it was a waste of time, but didn’t really know enough to be confident such a view was right.
Alastair Down wrote about the subject in Tuesday’s Racing Post, however, ripping the entire concept apart.
If you haven’t read his offering then you should do so. It was quite superb and I haven’t enjoyed an article as much for a very long time.
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WE are all watching every race run in the country right now with more than the usual interest, with Galway in mind.
Certainly, two horses who have won over the last few days could well play major roles at Ballybrit.
One is Noel Meade’s Jewel Of The West, who strolled to victory at Bellewstown on Saturday night. He is rapidly on the upgrade.
The other is Eoin Griffin’s Lucky Wish, equally impressive in a maiden hurdle at Roscommon on Monday night.
He went into that race on the back of some smart bumper form and, on his jumping debut, went across the flights like an old hand.
