One of the world’s great classics for 3yo fillies, the G1 Darley Irish Oaks, will be run at the Curragh this Saturday afternoon.

The 2400m contest, won in recent years by champions such as Snow Fairy, Ouija Board, and Peeping Fawn, will see 12 fillies go to post at 17:45 (Irish time).

Recent G2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Even Song will be attempting to provide Aidan O’Brien with his fifth win in the race, with O’Brien having previously triumphed with Alexandrova (2006), Peeping Fawn (2007), Moonstone (2008) and Bracelet (2014).

Interestingly, there are a number of contenders for this year’s big race with ties to South Africa.

Recent G3 Munster Oaks winner Pretty Perfect, one of four runners in the race for Ballydoyle, is a full sister to Cantabella who sold to Lammerskraal Stud for R3 100 000 at the recent CTS Mare & Fillies For Stud Sale.

The pair, both daughters of Galileo, are out of G1 Australasian Oaks runner up Milanova –a full sister to former Champion 2YO Colt and successful sire Holy Roman Emperor.

Another Irish runner with ties to South African bloodstock is recent G1 Investec Oaks runner up Architecture. A daughter of red hot sire Zoffany (sire of undefeated G2 Golden Horseshoe winner Zodiac Ruler), Architecture is from the same family as highly successful South African sire Judpot.

Recent Listed Lenbane Stakes winner Red Stars (by Manduro) is a descendant of the mare Bold Bikini (dam also of Irish Derby winner Law Society). Bold Bikini is also fourth dam of the very successful Varsfontein mare Subyan Dreams –dam of G1 placed pair of Felix The Cat and ML Jet, as well as the useful Never Settle –who topped the 2014 Emperors Palace National Two Year Old Sale.

Seventh Heaven, winner of the Listed Oaks Trial at Lingfield, is a daughter of Galileo and the lightning fast mare La Traviata, with the latter also dam of the very popular young Scott Bros sire Crusade, winner of the 2011 G1 Middle Park Stakes. Crusade’s first yearlings have proved very popular this year and have fetched up to R350 000.

Cheshire Oaks winner Somehow is yet another candidate with ties to South Africa –the regally bred daughter of Fastnet Rock and triple Oaks winner Alexandrova hailing from the same family as Summerhill Stud’s G3 Chester Vase winning sire Golden Sword. This is also the family of former South African champion sire Royal Prerogative.

The Avontuur Estate owned mare Paradise Beach (whose relatives also include Henrythnavigator and G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Magician) is another with ties to the Oaks. The stakes winning We Are Ninety (by Thewayyouare) is out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Brigids Cross, whose dam Brigid is also the second dam of Paradise Beach. 

-SAHorseracing.COM