What the Irish Oaks taught us including the rise of Hector Crouch and the latest Dermot Weld filly to follow
The rise of Hector Crouch, Content's Breeders' Cup claims and another late-maturing filly in the hands of Dermot Weld - Matt Brocklebank on what the Irish Oaks taught us.
Crouch on up after Classic breakthrough
There’s a very watchable At The Races feature with then-apprentice Hector Crouch on YouTube from 2016 in which the jockey speaks of learning to ride a horse before he ever got on a bike, how he first got into pony racing aged 14 and the circumstances that saw him start out under the expert guidance of straight-talking Gary Moore.
He’s come a long way since those days and teaming up with Ralph Beckett in 2021 has clearly allowed Crouch the opportunity to showcase his talents on a number of potentially top-class horses.
On Saturday, his hard work and persistence was rewarded with a first Group 1 success - a first Classic victory to boot - as You Got To Me landed the Irish Oaks at the Curragh, the man in the saddle having to draw upon all of his experience to execute what the filly’s trainer referred to as a “plan B” ride after missing a beat at the start.
No doubt there was a wry smile on the face of former mentor Moore, whose eldest son Ryan - winner of close to 200 Group/Grade 1 winners around the globe - was this time made to settle for second aboard the well-backed runner-up Content, but few could begrudge the winning rider his big breakthrough.
"That was the best she's raced for me relaxing-wise, and I'd like to think we're not done yet,” Crouch said of You Got To Me.
He’s clearly a pretty chilled-out customer himself on this weekend’s evidence and surely isn’t done yet when it comes to that personal Group 1 tally either.
Content’s time will come too
Ryan Moore made a typically good pre-race call in electing to ride the upped-in-trip Pretty Polly Stakes third Content over Ribblesdale winner Port Fairy, who beat only one rival home (the third Ballydoyle representative, Rubies Are Red, incidentally), but was this a rare Group 1 that got away from the great jockey?
It was far from a shocker - he just doesn't do those - and Content evidently bumped into a quality, brave rival in You Got To Me, but the winner did get first run in the circumstances and Moore's mount just couldn’t get out early enough to use what had looked her strongest weapon: a fine turn of foot.
Perhaps Content didn’t pick up quite as immediately as her rider had hoped she might once in the clear, but those who punted the daughter of Galileo into 3/1 favouritism were left ruing what might have been as she gained with every stride through the last half-furlong.
So the late, great Galileo’s wait for a 100th Group 1 winner goes on, and chances are likely to become few and far between over the next few months, although could Content still be the one who brings up the ton?
She’s reportedly being aimed at the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, run this year over 1m3f at Del Mar, and such a test could prove to be absolutely made for her.
Lily requires drop back in trip
Paddy Twomey had only ever had the one previous Irish Oaks runner - Show Of Stars who was fifth at 40/1 a couple of years ago - but Purple Lily certainly didn’t let the side down with her effort on Saturday.
Another forced to sit and suffer when the field bunched up approaching the two-pole, Billy Lee then went toe-to-toe with Crouch on the eventual winner through the penultimate furlong, before the petrol gauge started to flash.
It was worth a go, given the daughter of Calyx’s dam is a half-sister to Lady’s Secret who also finished third in the same Curragh Classic, but Purple Lily will very much benefit from a drop to 10 furlongs - the trip over which she was beaten just half a length by subsequent Epsom winner Ezeliya back in April. She may even be seriously competitive right back over a mile if the ground came up suitably soft for the Matron Stakes at the Irish Champions Festival in mid-September.
Weld to can more magic for Moglare
Ezeliya’s trainer Dermot Weld will probably have come away thinking his star filly would have landed another Classic had she not been forced into early retirement, but also highly encouraged by the performance of lightly-raced chestnut Elizabeth Jane.
She was facing a stiff task on just the third start of her life, having won a Leopardstown maiden last back-end before a low-key reappearance run at Naas last month, but wasn’t without each-way support (28/1 from 40s and 50s earlier in the day) and ran a blinder in fourth.
Elizabeth Jane has a superb Moyglare pedigree, being a daughter of Dubawi out of Group 2 winner Sapphire who is a half-sister to top-class winners Free Eagle, Search For A Song and Kyprios, so she looks destined to make a real impact if building on her weekend effort into the autumn.
Plotting a route towards Ascot’s British Champions Fillies And Mares Stakes – the aforementioned Group 2 Weld won with this filly’s dam – makes deep sense.
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