Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Marvellous is on a retrieval mission in tomorrow’s Group One Curragh feature but even with most statistics apparently favouring her older rivals there is still evidence to encourage hope that Aidan O’Brien’s filly can come out on top.
Marvellous is one of just a couple of three-year-olds taking on senior fillies in the Newbridge Silverware Pretty Polly Stakes, a race the younger brigade have won just twice in the last decade, and which this time includes last year's winner Ambivalent, the 2013 Guineas winner Just The Judge, plus her Epsom conqueror Thistle Bird, in a strong cross-channel raid.
However, those two previous three-year-old winners were Misty For Me (2011) and the outstanding Peeping Fawn (2007), both of which were trained by O’Brien, and who arrived at the Pretty Polly on an identical route to Marvellous.
Misty For Me also won the Irish Guineas before disappointing in the Oaks and Marvellous never looked happy at Epsom earlier this month, eventually struggling home in sixth and giving every sign of a filly that hadn’t enjoyed just a 12 day turnaround from winning on heavy ground at the Curragh. Peeping Fawn was third in the Irish Guineas, runner up at Epsom, and then won the Pretty Polly.
Marvellous is unproven on quick going but is bred to relish it. She will hardly lack for confidence from the saddle as Seamus Heffernan was also on Misty For Me and unsuccessfully tried to steer Joseph O’Brien to pick the Galileo filly in her earlier classic success a month ago.
Ebanoran back trip
O’Brien jnr can’t do the weight this time and will instead be on Venus de Milo but Marvellous’s reappearance in this race, and with first-time blinkers, makes her an intriguing prospect even against Ambivalent who appears to have improved further since last year, judged particularly on a fine run in Dubai earlier in the year.
Earlier Marvellous’s younger brother Gleneagles should be capable of stepping up significantly on his Leopardstown debut three weeks ago in the opening maiden.
Another on a reputation-retrieval mission from Epsom is Ebanoran who can make the most of a drop to ten furlongs in the Group Three Friarstown International Stakes.
The Oasis Dream colt finished a long way back in the Derby but palpably failed to stay after travelling well to the straight and presumably is still in possession of the raw talent levels that encouraged John Oxx to make him just his fourth ever runner in the Epsom Derby.
Oxx and jockey Declan McDonogh can also go close in the Group Three Attheraces Curragh Cup.
Tarana has ground to make up on Shu Lewis from Savel Beg form which got boosted significantly by Missunited at Ascot but looks set to get genuinely quick ground for the first time in her career.
The shock 33 to 1 Dubai winner Certerach reappears here but has weight to concede while Pale Mimosa was taken out of the Ascot Gold Cup because of going that may be no easier here.
