The Irish Can't Catch The English

Over the weekend, the English secured victory in the Irish Oaks. Plus two-year-olds were on show at Newbury and there was some jump action at Market Rasen too.

Over at the Curragh, we were treated to another Classic as the Irish Oaks produced one of the most competitive races so far this season.
Challengers came from both sides of the Irish Sea, as Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien led the home charge with Content and Port Fairy. Ribblesdale second Lava Stream and Lingfield Oaks Trial winner You Got To Me represented the UK.

In the early stages, Rubies Are Red and Port Fairy set an honest gallop, but stablemate, and favourite, Content was chosen to be held up by Ryan Moore. The Brits sat in midfield as the 14 fillies fanned out after a couple of furlongs.

The order stayed the same up the hill, but charging for home it was all change as the pacemakers began to fade and the rest bunched up in behind. The initial charge was led by Caught U Looking, but as gaps started to appear You Got To Me bid to make her claim.

Purple Lily had spotted the same gap and went with her inside the final furlong, as Content managed to burst through the pack at the last minute. As You Got To Me went clear, Content began to close but she was just too late in her challenge.

It’s a first win in the race for trainer Ralph Beckett and a fourth for the Brits in the last 10 years, with Star Catcher being the last in 2019.

Watch the race here.

Closer to home, the two-year-olds were on show for the Weatherbys Super Sprint, one of the most valuable sales races of the year. Often hard to predict a winner, the market looked to be interested in Hugo Palmer’s experienced two-year-old It Ain’t Two.

But as the sprint reached it’s climax, Vingegaard for Richard Hannon, who had a great track record in the race, had the race at his mercy but was worn down in the last few yards by Caburn who beat him by a neck.

Earlier, Elite Status made it two from two for the season as he won the Group Three Hackwood, beating last year’s Gimcrack winner Elite Status.

The three-year-old missed a shot at a Group One at Royal Ascot, but holds an early entry for the Sprint Cup at Haydock in September.

There was also some high class action over at Market Rasen, with the Summer Cup.

Boombawn was looking to give Dan Skelton a first win in the race since Long House Hall in 2016, and Francky Du Berlais was back to try and win the race for a third time. In the end it was Harry Cobden who steered Sure Touch to run down Soul Icon and take on of the features of the summer jumps season.