Snow Fairy added to Irish Oaks field
Despite doubts about the ground at the Curragh this weekend, Ed Dunlop has taken the plunge and supplemented Snow Fairy for Darley Irish Oaks on Sunday.
Snow Fairy, who beat Meeznah by a neck in the Oaks at Epsom last month, was one of four fillies who were added to the original acceptors at the five-day confirmation stage, at a cost of €42,500 (about £36,700).
Dunlop had expressed fears that the going at the Curragh, currently good to firm on the round course and good on the straight, might deteriorate with the rain that has been forecasted for the area this week. The fear of soft ground is based on Snow Fairy’s only poor run, when she finished ninth at Newbury in September, which was on soft going.
The other additions to the field, which now stands at 17, are the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Hibaayeb and Sir Michael Stoute's Eldalil, who were first and second in the Ribblesdale Stakes, and another Godolphin-owned contender, Miss Jean Brodie, who is trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni and only broke her maiden at Doncaster three weeks ago.
Aidan O'Brien, who won his first Classic of the season with cape Blanco at the Irish Derby, has six fillies still left in the race including Remember When, who was beaten two-and-a-quarter lengths by Snow Fairy in the Oaks.
One set of colours which will not be seen are those of Prince Khalid Abdullah, who has already won three major European Classics, and could strengthen his chances of another in the Ladbrokes St Leger, at Doncaster in September, with the progressive Total Command.
The Sadler’s Wells colt, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, won a 12-furlong maiden at Goodwood in May and then ran a promising third behind Mikhail Glinka and Theology in the Group Three Queen’s Vase over two miles at Royal Ascot last month. Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Abdullah, said: “Total Command is a likely contender for the St Leger at the moment. He holds an entry in the Great Voltigeur Stakes but he will probably head to Goodwood for the Gordon Stakes.
“He ran very well at Ascot and got a super run on the inside. He just actually failed to stay out the two miles and he would probably like a mile-and-three-quarters better. We hope that he’s quite progressive and he won his maiden very well at Goodwood, so the Gordon Stakes looks like a natural next step for him. “
Entries for the St Leger close at noon on July 20th.
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