All systems go for Ouija double bid
Newmarket trainer Ed Dunlop declared himself happy with Ouija Board this morning after the Epsom heroine completed her final piece of work ahead of the Irish Oaks at the weekend.
The daughter of Cape Cross, supplemented today at a cost of €40,000 for the Darley-sponsored Group One contest, enjoyed a six-furlong spin on the Cambridge Road under big-race jockey Kieren Fallon.
The Vodafone Oaks winner moved nicely clear of her lead horse on Fallon’s instruction to signal her well-being.
Dunlop reported: “I’m as happy now as I was going to Epsom. That can obviously change on a daily basis, but she seems in good form. Kieren’s happy with her and that’s good enough for me.”
Today’s lively pipe-opener was only the third time Ouija Board has worked since her magnificent seven-length triumph at Epsom on June 4. But Dunlop explained that she is not a filly who requires a heavy workload.
He said: “She is a big girl – just over 16 hands – still immature and probably not the most robust filly in the world, so it’s not like she needs to do a huge amount of work.
“I think she grew after Epsom. The first couple of weeks I thought her coat just dulled off a little. She was given a mid-season flu vaccination, which we give to all the horses. But the last two or three weeks we’ve been very happy with her. She’s very fresh out at exercise.”
Fallon jumped off Lord Derby’s horse to give a similarly upbeat update on her progress.
He said: “She’s done her work nicely – just what we asked of her. She’s in great form – the hardest part is keeping them right for the big day.
“You’re always afraid that in the week running up to the race, something’s going to happen.”
While thrilled to have a top-class Oaks winner in his Gainsborough Stables base, Dunlop does admit to feeling the pressure as Ouija Board prepares to renew acquaintances this weekend with Epsom second and third, All Too Beautiful and Punctilious.
“There’s an expectancy,” he said, surrounding his charge, installed by Cashmans as the 4-6 favourite for the race. “If she doesn’t win, ‘why hasn’t she won’, whereas, Epsom was a bit of an amazement.
“I was shocked by how far she won at Epsom. The time was very fast and she’s been given a high rating, but that’s all in the past. I hope for her sake, the owner and the team that she can do it again on Sunday.
“I do, however, strongly believe that the runner-up and the third will be more suited by a more galloping track rather than Epsom, so that’s obviously a concern.”
This Sunday will see Dunlop challenging for a second success in the Irish Classic – Lailani took the race for him in 2001. While opting not to pinpoint which of the two fillies was the better one, he did reveal that the two were markedly different.
He said: “Lailani showed nothing at home – or very little. She worked with a filly rated 65 before she won the Irish Oaks and would work as well as it.
“This filly (Ouija Board) has always shown a lot more class, a lot more speed at home. That said, Lailani just kept on improving. She was one of those fillies that just didn’t do anything at home.”
Dunlop also revealed that Ouija Board was not likely to take up her engagement in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on July 31.
That race comes only 14 days after the Irish Oaks and Dunlop mentioned that Ouija Board’s next destination would probably be next month at York for the Yorkshire Oaks. He added that the Champion Stakes at Newmarket in October might also be on the agenda.
“But we will take it one step at a time – let’s see what happens on Sunday,” said Dunlop, who also indicated that he believes his stable star will stay in training next year.
