Lush tipped for Irish outing

9:22am Thursday 15th May 2008

JIM Bolger set punters another conundrum when coming out in favour of the Darley Irish Oaks over the Epsom equivalent after Lush Lashes stylishly scored in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York.

The County Carlow handler ruled one-time ante-post favourite New Approach out of the Vodafone Derby to head to the Curragh instead and a similar path is likely to be taken by the daughter of Galileo.

The Goffs Fillies Million winner finished a staying-on sixth in the 1000 Guineas this month and relished the step up to a mile and a quarter from a mile under Kevin Manning.

Sent off the well-backed 2-1 favourite, Lush Lashes appeared on the scene full of running at the three-furlong marker and kicked on to record a striking five-length victory.

Once-raced Cape Amber came from off the pace to claim second, with Dar Re Mi third and Aidan O'Brien's Moonstone in fourth.

Bookmakers immediately made Lush Lashes favourite for the Juddmonte-sponsored Oaks, with Ladbrokes going 2-1, Coral and totesport 5-2 and Stan James 11-4.

However, William Hill and Cashmans went 6-4 with a run' after news emerged from Ireland that the Curragh version is the favoured option.

The trainer's travelling head lad Ger Flynn said: We are not going to rule anything out.

At the moment the Oaks at Epsom and the Curragh are on the cards, but it will more likely be the Curragh. We won't rule the English Oaks out, we'll see how she is when we get her home.

That is her second trip over here so we need to see how much the race has taken out of her and how many kilos she has lost.

She did it very easily though and Kevin was very, very happy with her.

There is a good break between now and the Irish Oaks, but Epsom is only three weeks away.'' Manning added: There wasn't much pace early on, but they quickened a long way from home.

I have no worries about her getting a mile and a half.

She quickened up well and galloped all the way to the line.'' Peter Chapple-Hyam's Cape Amber was having her first start of the year, having missed the 1000 Guineas following a dirty scope.

The daughter of Cape Cross is now 8-1 from 10s for Epsom with Coral and totesport.

Chapple-Hyam said: I'm absolutely delighted as we've had a stop-start year with her.

First we were aiming at the 1000 Guineas and then the Fred Darling and everybody knows my horses have not been quite right.

But this race was a better distance for her and she'll be even better over a mile and a half with a bit more give in the ground.

She's a really good filly.'' John Gosden was pleased with Dar Re Mi's effort, but felt a momentary clash between her and Moonstone shortly after turning in worked against his representative.

Gosden said: I'm very happy and she's run a good race behind an exceptional winner.

The winner brought the best form her, she was beaten only two lengths in a 1000 Guineas, but my filly's had an unnecessarily rough race.

She's got cuts on her hind legs and in a race such as this it is unnecessary to have such a hard time. I wasn't angry about Johnny (Murtagh, on Moonstone), but I thought it unnecessary at that time of the race.'' We'll still look at the Oaks, but we'll also consider the Ribblesdale."

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