Fresh from three wins over Longines Irish Champions Weekend, Dermot Weld supplies today’s nap in Galway, the once-raced filly Shehreen, in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF 2-Y-0 Median Auction Fillies Maiden.
Shehreen, a daughter of Iffraaj, should prove tough to beat, if building on her promising debut effort in Cork.
Sent off at 33/1 for a six-furlong maiden, the selection, settled in mid-division by Oisin Orr (who will be on board again this evening), stayed on late to fill third spot, beaten four lengths, behind Nurse Barbara, which franked the form when pipped in a listed event at Leopardstown on Friday.
That experience and today’s extra furlong should give Shehreen an outstanding chance.
And she gets the vote over Jim Bolger’s Soineanta, a close fourth to the useful Shekhem at Listowel last week.
The listed Ardilaun Hotel Oyster Stakes, traditional feature of this September meeting, looks like a good opportunity for Ballydoyle filly Simply Beautiful to earn valuable winning black type.
Winner of a mile maiden in Naas, this Galileo filly is endowed with plenty of stamina, as she showed when chasing home stablemate South Sea Pearl in the listed Vinnie Roe (a mile and six furlongs) at Leopardstown and, most notably, when second to Tarnawa in the Group 3 Give Thanks in Cork, form advertised when the winner landed the Group 2 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
Last time, she finished three lengths fifth to Goddess in the Hurry Harriet over an inadequate trip, in Gowran Park and, stepping back up to a mile and a half, the 99-rated filly sets the standard today.
Dangers include John Oxx’s older filly Moteo, held by the selection on Give Thanks form behind Tarnawa, and the Jessica Harrington-trained Camphor, fifth to Goddess in the Hurry Harriet last time.
Aidan O’Brien has won today’s opener, the Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0 Maiden, six times in the last eight years, including the wide-margin victory of this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby victor Sovereign 12 months ago.
And his Persia, far from disgraced when eighth on his debut behind Sinawann (second in a Group 2 at Leopardstown on Saturday) at the Curragh, might continue the trend here.
In the handicap action, I like Joseph O’Brien’s Listowel winner Severus Alexander in the Galway Apprentice Handicap.
Alan Persse was on board when he scored at the North Kerry venue last Friday, a win which had been hinted at by solid second places in Killarney and Down Royal.
Peter O'Hehir's tips
4.15. Persia
4.45. Charcor
5.15. Njord
5.45. Shehreen
6.15. Simply Beautiful (Nap)
6.45. Severus Alexander
7.15. Angel Fish
Next best
4.15. Alatar
4.45. High Altitude
5.15. Tribal Path
5.45. Soineanta
6.15. Moteo
6.45. Molly Kaye
7.15. The Tooth Fairy
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