Minnie Hauk up for major Oaks double

New Paper

16-07-2025

Such is Aidan O'Brien's outrageous dominance in UK racing, especially on his Irish home soil, that an enviable record of seven trophies in the Group 1 Irish Oaks (2,400m) is oddly enough, not among one of his most prominent silverware hauls.
The Ballydoyle maestro breaks records like a broken record in classics like the English Derby (11) or Irish Derby (17), to name a few, but somehow, he has been "less prolific" with the fillies in the British isles classics.
Seven is also his score in the Group 1 Epsom Oaks (2,400m), but, amazingly, he is still by a long chalk the leading trainer for the Irish version despite the softer grip on the 130-year-old The Curragh €500,000 (S$747,000) showpiece.
The statistics tell the story. Despite O'Brien's peerless 30-year-long success story, he racked up his first Irish Oaks success only at his 10th year of training in 2006 with Alexandrova.
It has not been a case of the floodgates being flung wide open since, but the last 18 years have seen his tally boosted significantly, with Savethelastdance his last triumph in 2023 - and he is now odds-on to extend it to eight on Saturday, July 19.
Not only does he saddle the ante-post odds-on (1-3) favourite Minnie Hauk, but his Coolmore entries also outnumber his rivals' with two-thirds of the nine-horse field.
The six-horse assault could, however, be shaved off of one or two, who unfortunately would have made for a more mouth-watering "sisterly" clash.
In a stirring Ballydoyle 1-2 battle to the line, Whirl was only overhauled late in the Epsom Oaks (2,400m) on June 6, but after she won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes (2,000m) three weeks later, O'Brien has inferred that the 5-1 chance was a doubtful Irish Oaks starter.
Arguably, forgoing the Big Two is a luxury the powerful outfit can afford given Minnie Hauk's upside and seemingly bottomless depth.
Among the remaining four, Butterfly Wings, Island Hopping and Merrily may be rightly seen as a few lengths behind Minnie Hauk, and just making up the numbers, but French Oaks (Group 1 Prix de Diane over 2,100m) runner-up Bedside Story is hardly a token runner.
However, the four-time winner by Frankel, a 13-2 quote, could also be a non-runner at declaration time.
"They probably won't both run, I'd imagine," said O'Brien.
"We were thinking that Whirl and Bedtime Story might go for the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood over 10 furlongs.
"Whirl came back to a mile and a quarter last time in the Pretty Polly and she was happy over that distance.
"Minnie Hauk has been fine since Epsom, she had a little break and everything has been good since."
Even if the squad is whittled down to four, the highest chance of seeing the O'Brien-Coolmore team's strength in numbers translated into success remains with Minnie Hauk.
The Frankel filly is only lightly raced, having won her last three from four starts, including an Oaks lead-up at Chester, but O'Brien and his team have kept her brewing nicely at her Tipperary headquarters for the Epsom-Irish Oaks double.
The feat is not uncommon, with half of the 10 bidders in the last 20 years pulling it off. Ominously, the last record holder is an O'Brien, Snowfall who won by a combined aggregate of more than 24 lengths, incidentally handing her trainer only his second Epsom-Irish Oaks double since Alexandrova.
The Epsom Oaks winning roster has not featured a vintage crop since Snowfall. None among Tuesday (2022), Soul Sister (2023) and Ezeliya (2024) has won again.
But there is a general sentiment Minnie Hauk could buck the trend - or rekindle that Classic double - on Saturday at 10.40pm Singapore time.
Besides the rivalry from within her own stable, she will still have to contend with the remaining ticket holders. O'Brien's son Joseph's Wemightakedlongway, James "Fozzy" Stack's Bay Colony and Johnny Murtagh's Subsonic are the only other confirmed starters.
On paper, the chances of an O'Brien toppler among that trio look remote, even if Wemightakedlongway did run fourth to Minnie Hauk in the Epsom Oaks and again fourth in the Pretty Polly Stakes, and Subsonic ran a ½-length second to Minnie Hauk at Leopardstown on debut in October.
[e-mail]