The last dance might not come until the early hours if Savethelastdance’s connections are celebrating an Irish Oaks triumph at the Curragh on Saturday.
Celebrations could last the week if any of the other seven in the race manage an upset and take the €285,000 first prize, as Aidan O’Brien’s main hope for this year’s race is the 1.80 hot favourite with William Hill for the 3-year-old fillies’ Group 1 over 1 mile 4 furlongs.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 21st, 6:30 P.M. (BST)
She is beatable as proven by Soul Sister in the English Oaks at Epsom in June. Ryan Moore was on board that day, as he was in a 22 length victory at Chester in May, and he will be in the saddle tomorrow. Ground not as firm as she experienced at Epsom should also help her cause.
O’Brien also has the second favourite in the race, Warm Heart, at 5.00. Seamie Heffernan gets the nod on Moore’s usual ride on a filly who has won her last three races, including the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot over tomorrow’s distance.
Third in that race was Ralph Beckett’s Bluestocking, a 6.50 chance for tomorrow. Bluestocking will be hoping its third time lucky against Warm Heart, having also finished runner-up to her in a trial at Newbury in May. Colin Keane will be on board for the first time.
Second in the Ribblesdale and thus splitting the two immediately above her in the betting was Lumiere Rock for Joseph O’Brien, who thus looks a good each-way chance at 13.00. Second also in a Group 3 at Naas in May, she also won at that level at the Curragh in October.
At 13.00 is Azazat for Dermot Weld, who was second in the Group 3 Munster Oaks under regular jockey Colin Keane at Cork last time out and took a win over a mile and a half at Leopardstown in May.
Be Happy’s supporters will be more than that if she wins at 26.00. Another of Aidan O’Brien’s, she was fifth to Lumiere Rock in October but has improved since with a third in a Group 3 at Saint-Cloud and was second at Lingfield in her first 1m4f trip.
Comhra (34.00) was a shock third in the Irish 1000 Guineas in May but then finished last in the Group 1 Yulong Pretty Polly Stakes at the start of the month. Library (67.00) has never finished better than midfield in any previous group race.
