Juddmonte Irish Oaks |
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| Grade 1, Curragh 15:25 Winner: €400,000, 3yo fillies, 1m 4f, Class 1  |
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1 Snowfall 2/7
2 Divinely 11/1
3
Nicest 10/1
8 ran Distances: 8½l, ½l, 2¾l
Time: 2m 34.36s (slow by 1.36s)
Snowfall completes the Classics double winning the @CazooUK Epsom Oaks and @JuddmonteFarms Irish Oaks for Aidan O'Brien pic.twitter.com/UNuo7kEGIUhttps://t.co/nyx6OM1kQ1 via @RacingBetter
— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) July 17, 2021
Snowfall had blitzed her rivals at Epsom to win by a record margin of 16 lengths and she produced a similar display on home soil in the Juddmonte-sponsored Irish equivalent.
Having scared off a lot of the opposition, Snowfall was the 2-7 favourite and she did not disappoint.
The early running was made by one of her three stablemates, La Joconde, in the eight-runner line-up, with Nicest and Willow close up.
Ryan Moore had Snowfall just off the pace until the field turned for home and it was not long before she made her move – and once she hit the front two furlongs out there was only going to be one outcome.
Snowfall opened up and was simply away and gone from the others, scoring by eight and a half lengths to provide Aidan O’Brien with a sixth triumph in the race.
Divinely was second to give the Ballydoyle handler a one-two. Nicest, trained by O’Brien’s son, Donnacha, was half a length away in third.
O’Brien said: “She’s very smart and she has a lot of quality.
“We purposely let her down a little bit from Epsom because the season is going to roll on and it was soft ground at Epsom.
“The plan was to come here, go on to the Yorkshire Oaks and then she’d be ready for the autumn.
“I’m delighted with her and she’s done very well from Epsom physically, she’s got very big and strong.
“Ryan said she has a lot of speed. She goes very strong and she finishes out very well.
“We’ll go one race at a time now, the Yorkshire Oaks first.”
On her two-year-old form, O’Brien said: “She’s a filly that always had a lot of natural ability and we had to get her to relax a little bit so we didn’t worry too much about it as we were always concentrating on switching her off.
“Things went against her. Her first run was over five and a half furlongs in Navan and Mother Earth was second.
“Then she came back here to a maiden and Seamus (Heffernan) nearly fell off her. That’s why it took a few runs to win a maiden and it might have been a blessing in disguise as she became very mature and grown up from it mentally.
“Because she was busy early in the season it might have took its toll at the end of the season – even though she was perfect mentally, physically she had a good few runs.
“Herself and Mother Earth ran in the Fillies’ Mile and we were nearly siding with her over Mother Earth. That’s what we always thought of her.
“She’s a home-bred for the lads as well, she has some pedigree.
“We always thought fast ground was her thing and I was very worried in Epsom about her with that ground.”
Juddmonte Irish Oaks (Group 1)
Winner: €400,000, 3yo only, 1m 4f
8 ran
Going: Good Good to firm in places
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (1) Snowfall 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 2/7F
2 (6) 8½ Divinely 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan 11/1
3 (3) ½ Nicest 3 9-2 Donnacha O'Brien Gavin Ryan 10/1
4 (8) 2¾ Willow 24 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Seamie Heffernan 15/2
5 (7) 6 Party House 3 9-2 G M Lyons Colin Keane 28/1
6 (2) 2½ La Joconde 3 9-2 A P O'Brien Emmet McNamara 40/1
7 (4) ½ Ahandfulofsummers 3 9-2 J A Stack Chris Hayes 80/1
8 (5) 2¼ Mariesque 3 9-2 Joseph O'Brien Shane Crosse 40/1
Previous Years
2020 Even So 3 9-2 Colin Keane 10/1 (G M Lyons) (Drawn 2)
2019 Star Catcher 3 9-0 L Dettori 7/2 (John Gosden) (Drawn 3)
2018 Sea of Class 3 9-0 James Doyle 11/4 (William Haggas) (Drawn 7)
2017 Enable 3 9-0 L Dettori 2/5Fav (John Gosden) (Drawn 6)
2016 Seventh Heaven 3 9-0 J A Heffernan 14/1 (A P O'Brien) (Drawn 9)
2015 Covert Love 3 9-0 P J Smullen 7/1 (Hugo Palmer) (Drawn 8)
2014 Bracelet 3 9-0 C O'Donoghue 10/1 (A P O'Brien) (Drawn 3)
2013 Chicquita 3 9-0 J P Murtagh 9/2 (A de Royer-Dupre) (Drawn 1)
2012 Great Heavens 3 9-0 W Buick 5/4Fav (John Gosden) (Drawn 1)
2011 Blue Bunting 3 9-0 L Dettori 5/2 (M Al Zarooni) (Drawn 3)
2010 Snow Fairy 3 9-0 R L Moore 7/2 (Ed Dunlop) (Drawn 9)
2009 Sariska 3 9-0 J P Spencer 1/1Fav (Michael Bell) (Drawn 3)
2008 Moonstone 3 9-0 J P Murtagh 2/1Fav (A P O'Brien) (Drawn 10)
2007 Peeping Fawn 3 9-0 J P Murtagh 3/1 (A P O'Brien) (Drawn 4)
2006 Alexandrova 3 9-0 K Fallon 8/15Fav (A P O'Brien) (Drawn 2)
2005 Shawanda 3 9-0 C Soumillon 9/2 (A de Royer-Dupre) (Drawn 7)
2004 Ouija Board 3 9-0 K Fallon 4/7Fav (Ed Dunlop) (Drawn 4)
2003 Vintage Tipple 3 9-0 L Dettori 12/1 (P Mullins) (Drawn 8)
2002 Margarula 3 9-0 K J Manning 33/1 (J S Bolger) (Drawn 12)
2001 Lailani 3 9-0 L Dettori 5/1 (Ed Dunlop) (Drawn 1)
2000 Petrushka 3 9-0 J P Murtagh 11/2 (Sir Michael Stoute) (Drawn 10)
1999 Ramruma 3 9-0 K Fallon 4/9Fav (Sir H R A Cecil) (Drawn 1)
