Courtesy of Becky Johnston
Disappointing news this week when Aidan O’Brien announced that last year’s spectacular winner of this race and the Irish Oaks, Magnier/Smith/Tabor owned Peeping Fawn, was not ready for her first race of the year. The filly was produced from Better Than Honour’s half-sister Maryinsky. Better Than Honour is the dam of Casino Drive, Jazil and Rags to Riches.
The Coronation Stakes winner Lush Lashes also defected from the race. The Jim Bolger trainee opted to go into the Irish Oaks in two weeks rather than face this test against older fillies and mares just a week after her last outing.
That leaves us with favorite, Finsceal Beo, the four-year-old filly is also trained by Jim Bolger. She ran an unlucky third in the one-mile Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes to winner Haradasun, the five-year-old horse and runner-up, four-year-old filly Darjina.
Finsceal Beo has a win and a runner-up finish out of three Curragh starts. She is owned by Michael Ryan and is the daughter of the American based stallion Mr. Greeley. She will be ridden by Kevin Manning.
Sir Michael Stoute will send out the Juddmonte owned Promising Lead. The four-year-old daughter of Danehill has never run at The Curragh, but has a consistent record of three wins and two seconds from six starts. She is a Group 3 winner in England and Group 1 placed in France.
Mad About You comes off a second place finish to Halfway to Heaven in the Group 1 one-mile Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh in her first start of the year. She is also Group 1 placed in France. The three-year-old filly is by Indian Ridge and owned by Moyglare Stud. She is trained by Dermot Weld. She has a win and four placings from five starts.
The rest of the field:
Anna Pavlova, owned by Galaxy Racing, trained by Richard Fahey and ridden by Jamie Moriarty
She’s Our Mark, owned by B & M Syndicate, trained by Pat Flynn and ridden by Danny Grant
Beach Bunny, owned by Lady O’Reilly, trained by Kevin Prendergast and ridden by Chris Hayes
Marjalina, owned by J. Vasicek, trained by Kevin Prendergast and ridden by Declan McDonogh
Sail and Ice Queen are both owned by Michael Tabor and trained by Aidan O’Brien with Johnny Murtagh on Sail and J.A. Heffernan on Ice Queen
