Irish Oaks lowdown: Magic Wand heads O’Brien’s bid for 40th Irish Classic win

5.30 Curragh: Darley Irish Oaks (Group 1) | 3yo fillies | 1m4f | RTE2/ATR 

Group 1 winners Magic Wand and Forever Together do battle for the third time in Saturday’s Darley Irish Oaks as Aidan O’Brien bids for a 40th Irish Classic success.

Magic Wand beat her Ballydoyle stablemate in the Cheshire Oaks before finishing 11 lengths behind Forever Together when that filly landed the Oaks at Epsom.

Royal Ascot brought about significant improvement in Magic Wand, winning the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes in impressive fashion, while Forever Together came up short on her most recent start when finding four-year-old Urban Fox too good in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes.

Forever Together: Oaks star beaten by four-year-old Urban Fox in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes

Mark Cranham

O’Brien, who will be chasing a sixth win in the fillies’ Classic and, unusually, his first Irish Classic of the year, sent out Bracelet to complete the Ribblesdale-Irish Oaks double in 2014, while the latest to achieve the Epsom-Curragh Oaks double was Enable 12 months ago.

The master trainer, who is also represented by Bye Bye Baby, said: “All has gone well with Magic Wand since Ascot, where she won nicely. We’re very happy with her.

“We’ve been happy with Forever Together since the Pretty Polly. I’d say it was more the drop to a mile and a quarter rather than the fast ground that was against her that day. She’s a good mover and stays well, and we’re trying cheekpieces as she can be a bit lazy.”

He added: “Bye Bye Baby is a consistent filly and is in good form. We felt she was entitled to take her chance.”

Magic Wand pros and cons

Pros Got the trip well when winning impressively at Royal Ascot and further improvement on the cards

Cons Has plenty to find with Forever Together on Epsom Oaks form

Forever Together pros and cons

Pros Won the Oaks at Epsom in good style and return to a mile and a half should suit after Pretty Polly Stakes defeat over shorter trip

Cons Appeared to appreciate easy ground at Epsom 

Does Haggas filly have the class?

Whether it was the right call or not to swerve Epsom with Sea Of Class, we can never really know, but the Tsui family’s filly has the belated chance to become a Classic winner on Saturday.

While the O’Brien-trained trio who oppose her all ran at Epsom, with Forever Together, Bye Bye Baby and Magic Wand finishing first, third and fourth, Sea Of Class was tucked up in her box in Newmarket, with William Haggas and her owners opting to miss the race on account of soft ground, although her trainer was lukewarm, at best, over running anyway.

Sea Of Class had won a Listed race at Newbury before the Epsom Classic in fine style, and went back to the same track to win a similar race by the same margin of two lengths, although perhaps not quite so eyecatchingly as previously.

The filly did not race as a juvenile and will be having her fourth start at the Curragh.

Sae Of Class: unraced as a juvenile but an impressive winner of two races at Newbury

Ian Headington

Haggas said: “Sea Of Class was a very late foal so we thought we’d skip the Oaks with her when the rain was forecast and take a more softly-softly approach, with a view to taking in this.

“She has won two Listed races in good style and she should get the trip. She certainly shapes that way.

“She had a nice spin on the July course on some lovely ground just before the July meeting, which has put her spot on. It’s good to firm over there, which she will enjoy, although they are forecast some rain.”

The trained added: “We’ve had one runner in the race before, which was Mont Etoile a few years ago, but we have our best bunch of fillies for a while and hopefully we can keep the run going.” 

Sea Of Class pros and cons

Pros Looks progressive and ground in her favour

Cons Unproven above Listed level and at the trip

Tudor to be played late – McCreery

Runner-up in the Naas Oaks Trial on her most recent start, Mary Tudor represents Godolphin and trainer Willie McCreery, who said: “She’s in good shape. Billy [Lee] rode her in her last piece of work during the week and was very happy with her.

“I think she’ll relish the step up in trip and we’ll sit with her until the turn into the straight and as long as possible. We’ll try to be the last to play and hopefully there is something to play at the end.”

He added: “I’m very positive and you have to be if you’re going into an Irish Oaks.”

Weld representative lacks experience

Romiyna, a daughter of Nathaniel, flies the flag for Dermot Weld and the Aga Khan and is the least experienced filly in the line-up having raced only twice.

A six-length maiden winner on her debut at Gowran Park in May, she finished only sixth in the Naas Oaks Trial.

Weld said: “It’s probably a bit ambitious but the bit of rain that arrived this morning will help her.

“I’ve been very pleased with the way she has been training and we felt she was entitled to take her chance.”

Black-type aim for O’Brien outsider

A maiden winner over the course at a mile and a quarter before finishing fifth in the Naas Oaks Trial, Tissiak represents Joseph O’Brien, who made the Classic breakthrough as a trainer when Latrobe landed the Irish Derby last month.

The trainer reported: “She’s in good form and the course and trip will suit. But it is very competitive, as you’d expect an Oaks to be, and if she could get some black type it would be a dream result.”