The prospect of Aidan O'Brien's superstar filly Love in the Yorkshire Oaks is all many will need to relish Thursday's racing action.
With officials indicating that Thursday's Irish cards at Killarney and Leopardstown will be unaffected by Storm Ellen, any reverse for Love in York's feature will be a major blow to a lot of expectations.
O'Brien's English Guineas and Oaks heroine is widely regarded as Europe's best middle-distance three-year-old of 2020 and will be long odds-on to maintain that reputation against a handful of opponents.
O’Brien knows better than most that the “SP” is no guarantee of anything in any race but especially this one.
It's only six years since he supplied Tapestry to confound the 1-5 favourite Taghrooda in the Yorkshire Oaks when Ryan Moore was at his brilliant best in pouncing late.
Inferior
Jessica Harrington’s One Voice is one of those hoping to do the same now. Officially though she is rated 8lb inferior and all we’ve seen to Love to date suggests that isn’t flattering to the favourite.
Earlier on the York card Harrington also runs the Group Three runner-up Sussex Garden in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes where she will be joined by another Irish hope in Miss Amulet.
The Ken Condon-trained filly, purchased for just a €1,000 as a foal, has already exceeded all expectations with Listed race defeat of Frenetic in the Marwell Stakes at Naas last time.
In the process Miss Amulet overcame a less than clear passage through the race and form on easy ground is likely to be a major plus in her biggest task to date.
The short-term weather outlook means form on soft going is likely to be at a premium at both Irish fixtures on Thursday.
Killarney in particular is expected to be in the path of Storm Ellen but an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board official said on Wednesday: “All hopes are that it won’t arrive until after racing today and be gone before racing tomorrow.”
Killarney’s €40,000 feature is the GMHD Handicap Hurdle which could be a good opportunity for Willie Mullins’s mare Shanning.
Testing conditions should help the proven stayer who had a first start in a year when ninth to Aramon in the Galway Hurdle.
Shanning’s stable companion Buildmeupbuttercup was fifth in that race and is rated to be hard to beat in the Listed Mares Hurdle.
