Snow Fairy, Meeznah meet again in Irish Oaks

Snow Fairy and Meeznah, separated by just a neck when first and second in the English Oaks, go at it again at the Curragh on Sunday in the $548,000, Group 1 Irish Oaks, when they will be joined by two very dangerous rivals in Hibaayeb and Rosanara.

Snow Fairy was given a wild ride by Ryan Moore at Epsom on June 4 as she weaved her way through the stretch to lead inside the final furlong, then held off Meeznah's late charge. Trained by Ed Dunlop of Ouija Board fame, the Intikhab filly faces more of a stamina test over the Curragh's 1 1/2 miles. Meeznah, a daughter of Dynaformer trained by David Lanigan in Newmarket, could turn the tables, as she won her maiden at the distance.

William Hill has installed those two as 4-1 co-favorites with Hibaayeb. A Godolphin-owned Singspiel filly, she took her second group-race honor at Royal Ascot when winning the 1 1/2-mile, Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths and is the selection with Frankie Dettori aboard. Her main foe could turn out to be Rosanara. A Sinndar filly trained in France by Alain de Royer-Dupre for the Aga Khan, she returned to form when 1 1/2 lengths second to her undefeated stablemate Sarafina in the 1 5/16-mile French Oaks and will be ridden by Gerald Mosse.

Akdarena led to the quarter pole before fading to sixth in the English Oaks and might find her front-running tactics to be a liability at the Curragh. Eldalil was a well-beaten second in the Ribblesdale, while Dylan Thomas's three quarter-sister Remember When, a good third in the English Oaks, disappointed last time when a distant fourth behind Chinese White in the Pretty Polly Stakes.