Curvy takes on O'Brien quartet in Irish Oaks

Curvy has won all four of her starts at age 3, and on Saturday at The Curragh in Ireland, she will be among the favorites to win at the Group 1 level for the first time when she meets nine rivals in the Irish Oaks.

Four of her foes are trained by Aidan O’Brien, who has not dominated this race to the extent he has owned some of the other major events in Irish racing, though O’Brien did win just last year with Bracelet.

Curvy is owned by O’Brien’s major patron, the Coolmore group, but is trained by David Wachman. Fourth, seventh, and eighth in her three starts at 2, she has blossomed this season and enters after the best performance of her career, a length win over the talented Pleascach in the Group 2 Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot. That was Curvy’s first try at the 1 1/2-mile distance of the Irish Oaks, and she appeared to have little trouble seeing it out.

Yet Curvy feels something less than solid Saturday, perhaps because O’Brien is coming with such a mass of runners. They are: Qualify, who scored a huge upset in the Epsom Oaks, then ran sixth in the Irish Derby on June 27; Words, who is 2 for 2 after winning her 3-year-old debut in the Group 3, 12-furlong Munster Oaks; Together Forever, who has quality, but might have been found wanting trying 1 1/2 miles for the first time in the Epsom Oaks; and Kissed by Angels, most recently 17th of 18 in the Irish 1000 Guineas nearly two months ago. Qualify, were she to find her Epsom Oaks form again, could be the right one.

Godolphin buys Toormore

The Group 1 miler Toormore will continue his racing career for trainer Richard Hannon Jr,. but since his last start, a fourth in Queen Anne Stakes, he has been purchased by Godolphin. Toormore’s lone Group 1 win came two summers ago, but he has maintained competitive form facing the best milers in Europe the last two seasons.