The €25,000 Sporting Press Online Edition Irish Oaks continues this evening at Shelbourne Park with four brilliant quarterfinals. Droopys Mandolin remains the 3/1 outright favourite with the bookmakers despite finishing third behind Mustang Sally last week. She was slow away from trap four and found herself in trouble at the first bend.
This daughter of Laughil Blake – Droopys Curio turned on the turbo power and managed to make up ground to qualify but faces some tough opposition in race 8. The talented Rathdown Molly races from trap four for trainer Marie Gilbert. Winner of the Christmas Oaks, Molly has been in superb form since returning to the track with her 28.
45 victory last week making her hard to oppose in this contest. Heat winner Beretta Reba has to be taken seriously too for trainer Graham Kelly as this lady has become a regular at the Dublin track while Epic Chick in trap six will be flying home for John Kennedy. Lincoln Legacy can easily set the pace from trap one for Paddy McGhee, but she might find one or two of her rivals too good at the business end.
It’s all about the early pace so I’m going to vote for Rathdown Molly to just get her head in front at the opening turn with Mandolin giving chase in behind. It’s going to be a great opening heat. Droopys Edel was the fastest heat winner last week for trainer Ian Reilly as she recorded a flashy time of 28.
21. She looks the one in the second heat but there is a nice bit of early pace in this line up. Kero.