Classic racing action returns to the Curragh this weekend, as the Irish Oaks weekend gets underway.
Sixteen races – including five Group races – are scheduled to take place over the two days, attributing to another weekend of prestigious flat racing in County Kildare.
The event plays host to the fourth Irish Classic race of the season, the Irish Oaks, which is the highlight and namesake race of the meeting.
It will run on day one of the festival as it plays its part in an Irish sporting weekend featuring the All-Ireland hurling final in Croke Park on Sunday, as well as the final round of the Open Championship golf in Portrush.
Here is everything you need to know, as racing’s elite turn their attention to the Curragh – just three weeks on from the Irish Derby Festival.
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When is the Irish Oaks weekend?
The Juddmonte Chaldean Irish EBF Maiden opens the card on day one, kicking off a weekend that promises to deliver some of the finest action in racing.
It gets underway at 1:30pm on Saturday, July 19, preceding four of the five Group races held at the meeting – including the (Group One) Juddmonte Irish Oaks.
The festival’s showpiece is due off at 3:40pm, scheduled to take place in between the running of three Group Two races.
Day Two’s card is highlighted by the remaining Group contest run over the weekend – the (Group Two) Minstrel Stakes, also due off at 3:40pm.
Trainers to watch
The depth in talent at Ballydoyle is evident for all to see, with Aidan O’Brien’s horses taking victory in numerous feature events across the British Isles.
Lambourn completed a Derby-double at this track three weeks ago, after winning at Epsom earlier this campaign.
It added to his victory in the Chester Vase in May, which was part of a meeting that further showcased the strength of O’Brien’s yard.
His stable saddled the winners of the Ormonde Stakes and Cheshire Oaks – the latter with Minne Hawk, who will likely line-up in this weekend’s feature race and look to make it a hat-trick of Oaks wins this season.
Other notable winners for the Ballydoyle-man include the Irish 1000 Guineas, at this course, as well as Coral-Eclipse.
However, O’Brien endured a Royal Ascot that saw him go without a Group One winner for the first time in two decades – largely at the expense of father and son co-trainers John and Thady Gosden, who took victory in three Group Ones at the royal meeting.
They trail O’Brien in the British Champion Trainer standings but have form at this course, winning the Irish 2000 Guineas with the Juddmonte-owned stable-star Field Of Gold.
Other trainers that are prominent in the standings include Andrew Balding, who saw his filly Kalpana (also owned by Juddmonte) defeated in the Pretty Polly Stakes – at the Irish Derby meeting.
Should Balding send one to The Curragh, they will be representing a stable in top form – boasting a strike rate of 14 placed runners from 37 rides, though these have come at prestigious meetings.
Another trainer in top-form is Charlie Appleby, who saw his horse Saba Desert win the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket’s July Festival.
It was one of seven winners across the meeting for the renowned owner/trainer combination of Godolphin and Appleby – with the trainer now fourth in the Championship standings.
Other in-form trainers include Charlie Johnston, who has seen 14 of his last 29 runners place (five winners), as well as Joseph Patrick O’Brien and Johnny Murtagh
The pair make up two of the first four in the Irish Champion trainer standings, with the former sired by Aidan – boasting a win rate of 15.38% from his last 26 runners.
Murtagh sits fourth in the standings, though will arrive in-form with his stable seeing 11 of their last 14 runners place – five of which won.
Last year’s Irish Oaks winning trainer Ralph Beckett, also deserves a shoutout.
Jockeys to watch
Ryan Moore remains the ever-present first choice jockey for O’Brien, having saddled a plethora of winners in feature events for Ballydoyle.
Earlier this season, the pair made it 150 Group One winners together but have since added to that number – notably in the Coral-Eclipse.
Moore showed brilliant horsemanship to get his mount Delacroix out of trouble, getting him a clear run down the outside of the field to defeat the heavily-backed Ombudsman.
The Englishman tops neither the British or Irish Jockey Championship standings, but has accumulated just under 1m euros more, in prize money, than Irish table-topper Colin Keane.
Keane has seen himself come under scrutiny last week, when he was adjudged to have used his whip once more than the rules state, in his winning-ride on Windlord, at Sandown.
He was subsequently given a 14-day ban, which will rule him out of Glorious Goodwood.
Juddmonte’s leading jockey is currently in the midst of a four-way Championship battle with Billy Lee, Chris Hayes and Dylan Browne McMonagle – all of whom are likely to be in action this weekend.
The first two have had 40 winners so far this season, with the latter riding one fewer; the trio trail Keane who has ridden 44 winners this campaign.
The British standings also see an Irishman at the top, with four-time Champion Oisin Murphy leading the way.
Despite troubles in his personal life which have seen him charged with drink driving, he leads William Buick by 16 winners.
Buick himself is a jockey to watch, operating at 27% win rate over the last two weeks, with winners including the (Group One) Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes.
Should he make the journey westward, he is sure to be in contention for wins.
Another jockey to watch is Wayne Lordan who – like Moore – is associated with O’Brien.
Lordan has saddled three Group Three winners for O’Brien this season and regularly rides his horses across Ireland.
How to watch the Irish Oaks Festival on TV?
Racing TV are screening all the action from the festival on their TV channel and via their online streaming services.
Note that Racing TV is a subscription-based service.
