Moon ready to shine for Coolmore

13 April 2012

Aidan O'Brien's stranglehold on this season's Group One races seems set to continue in the Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Sunday where the all-conquering Coolmore team fields Quarter Moon.

The daughter of Sadler's Wells will be having her fourth outing in a classic and bidding to lose her 'bridesmaid' tag. She is already 5-4 favourite for the highlight with Irish bookmakers Cashmans.

Quarter Moon, who is bred to stay the mile and a half, won the Moyglare Stud Stakes in her first season but she has since been foiled by those top fillies, Kazzia and Gossamer.

She was fifth to the Godolphinowned Kazzia in the English 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on her reappearance and runner-up to the same horse in the Epsom Oaks.

Quarter Moon did not seem to enjoy the gradients of the Surrey track and, in the circumstances, did well to get within half a length of the winner.

Sandwiched between those efforts was the four-and-a-half length defeat by Gossamer in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

The main Curragh rival to Quarter Moon, who is jointly owned by Mrs John Magnier and Mrs Richard Henry, is likely to be the Royal Ascot Ribblesdale Stakes winner Irresistible Jewel.

She will be ridden by Pat Smullen, who was in the saddle when the filly - trained by Dermot Weld - beat Shadow Dancing by three-parts of a length at the big Berkshire meeting.

Weld, confirming Irresistible Jewel as a definite runner, said: "She is in very good form and it is all systems go for Sunday."

Meanwhile, Weld has welcomed back Saranac Lake who finished 10th in the American Oaks at Hollywood Park on Saturday. He revealed that the plan is to run in the Platinum Stakes, a Listed race at Cork in early August, before sending her back to the States for the Del Mar Oaks later that month. "She will take the same route as Theoretically, who won the Cork race for me a few years ago before just losing out in the Del Mar."

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Moon ready to shine for Coolmore

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