RACING:PRINCESS HIGHWAY is likely to lead a small but select team from Dermot Weld's yard into next week's Royal Ascot meeting but the trainer hasn't ruled out a late diversion for the filly to Sunday's French Oaks at Chantilly.
The daughter of Street Cry had the subsequent Epsom Oaks heroine Was behind her in third when successful in last month’s Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes at Naas, after which Weld nominated Ascot’s Ribblesdale Stakes as a target.
That Group 2 contest over a mile and a half was won by Princess Highway’s dam Irresistible Jewel during her own racing career but uncertainty about ground conditions at the Royal meeting have led Weld to keep his progressive runner in Sunday’s €1 million Prix De Diane over 10 and a half furlongs.
Aidan O’Brien has also left four entries in the race, including the French Guineas second, Up, and Kissed who was withdrawn from the Epsom Oaks just hours before the race due to ground conditions.
Only one Irish trained horse has ever won the French Oaks. Sweet Mimosa, trained by Séamus McGrath, was the first foreign winner of the race back in 1970.
“Princess Highway is more likely to go for the Ribblesdale but she is a top of the ground filly and I want to see what conditions are likely to be in Paris at the weekend. The 10 furlongs is also attractive. It remains a possibility,” Weld said yesterday.
A total of 18 potential starters remain in the French Oaks after yesterday’s forfeit stage and they are headed by the unbeaten Pouliches winner Beauty Parlour from the Wildensten team.
The Aga Khan has two possibles including the Prix Saint-Alary winner Sagawara who is trained by Alain De Royer-Dupre, chasing a seventh win in the classic.
A pair of British horses also remain in the race including Mick Channon’s Irish Guineas heroine Samitar but she is reportedly more likely to run in the Coronation Stakes at Ascot. David Simcock has also left in Palmyra.
The Weld team for Ascot is also set to include the Matron winner Emulous in the Group 2 Windsor Forest Stakes and Rock Critic, a triple Galway festival winner, and successful last month at Tipperary, in the Royal Hunt Cup.
Possibly Weld’s finest hour at Royal Ascot came in the 2010 Gold Cup with Rite Of Passage who is set to reappear later in the season.
“We ran out of time for the Gold Cup with Rite Of Passage but we are looking now to have him ready for the Irish St Leger with a prep in one of the Leger trial beforehand,” he added yesterday.
It’s just three days since Warwick Avenue ran at the Curragh but Aidan O’Brien’s decision to pull him out again quickly, and up the son of Montjeu to a mile and a half, can pay off in this evening’s Fairyhouse finale.
Warwick Avenue ran only fifth to Vedani at the weekend but he wasn’t beaten far and was running on at the finish enough to suggest a bigger stamina test should suit.
Vedani’s trainer John Oxx has Hay Point, third to Blue Corner at the Curragh, in this while Nashville looks another to keep an eye on. But conditions look good for the Ballydoyle runner.
Fluidity also ran at the weekend, and romped home by eight lengths at Navan from Purple. Ger Lyons is understandably keen to get him out again in the mile and a half handicap under a mandatory 5lb penalty since the handicapper has raised Fluidity by 16lbs in future.
