RACING: The Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Saoire is giving the Frances Crowley camp all the right signals ahead of her attempt to bridge a 26-year gap in Sunday's Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh.
The Vincent O'Brien-trained Godetia in 1979 was the last horse to complete the fillies classic double, and even though Saoire will be tackling a mile and a half for the first time that is not worrying those closest to her.
"We have always thought of her as an Oaks-type filly and she was staying on well enough over a mile and a quarter in the Pretty Polly on her last start," said Crowley yesterday.
That Pretty Polly saw Saoire finish only eighth behind the four-year-old Alexander Goldrun, and, even though she was in season that day, Crowley points to other reasons for why the bare form should be ignored.
"I don't think being in season had any bearing on it. She just got no run, got into all sorts of hassle and really she didn't have a race at all. Actually I was quite happy she didn't have a hard race, as I don't think she would have beaten the winner anyway.
"She has been fine since, and even though the going will be fast we're not worried about that. It was pretty fast when she won her maiden and when she was third in the Moyglare. She also ran reasonably well on it at Newmarket in the Guineas," she said.
Another home-trained filly hoping to bridge a gap will be Saoire's old rival Chelsea Rose, who will attempt to emulate the 1984 winner, Princess Pati, for the Con Collins-Pat Shanahan combination.
An altered weather forecast resulted in the Curragh authorities starting to water the track yesterday morning and that will continue until Wednesday at least.
"We're told now it's probably unlikely we will get any rain until Thursday night at the earliest, so we have decided to water from today until Wednesday," said the Curragh manager Paul Hensey yesterday. "It's difficult to predict right now, so we will see what the situation is on Wednesday when we have a more accurate forecast."
A number of supplementary entries for the Oaks are expected at this morning's declaration stage. John Oxx's Behkiyra is likely to be put into the race at a cost of €40,000, and another Aga Khan-owned filly, Shawanda, could be supplemented in a bid to become the first French-trained winner since Wemyss Bight in 1993.
Saturday's feature at the Curragh will be the Group Three Ladbrokes.ie International Stakes, and the Irish Guineas third, Democratic Deficit, was one of 13 three-year-olds left in the mile contest at yesterday's forfeit stage.
Also left in are the Aidan O'Brien-trained pair of Grand Central and Milesius, while the Newmarket trainer Mark Prescott has also left in two, Comic Strip and Cupids Glory.
O'Brien has also left in two, Cougar Cat and Dark Cheetah, in the Rockingham Handicap.
Kieren Fallon travels to Killarney this evening for two rides for Charlie Swan, and Da Bookie looks like he can make the trip worthwhile in the mile handicap after a good run behind Say Anything at Gowran last week.
The track will be on the fast side again today, and that could be against the Sadlers Wells filly Stylist in the concluding maiden. Instead, the 78 rated Maria Luisa should be more at home on it.
Irish Blade looked a likely winner when leading at the last at Sligo on Sunday, only to be run out of it close home by Lycaena. The extra quarter mile of the first division of the handicap should suit the Meade runner.
Curragh Derby runner-up Scorpion has been supplemented at a cost of €30,000 for Thursday's Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp.
Aidan O'Brien's colt made no impact on his last visit to France when second-last in the Prix du Jockey Club, and he was earlier beaten by Im Spartacus in the Gallinule Stakes.
But the son of Montjeu showed significantly improved form at the Curragh last month to get within half a length of Hurricane Run.
