Irish Oaks sees rematch

Light Shift and Peeping Fawn are set to go head to head for a second time in Sunday's Group 1 Irish Oaks at the Curragh, which features the first four home from the English equivalent six weeks ago.

Light Shift will be the only overseas raider in a field of 12 for this $675,000 event, run over a right-handed 1 1/2 miles on turf that is set to be heavy. A daughter of Kingmambo trained by Henry Cecil, Light Shift has not run since the English Oaks.

Peeping Fawn, by contrast, has been incredibly busy. This will be her eighth start since her racecourse debut on April 1, and the last four, all during the last seven weeks, have been in Group 1 company at distances from eight to 12 furlongs.

At Epsom, she was rank early and had a troubled passage from the rear, drawing level with Light Shift only to be outstayed by a half-length in the last few yards of the 1 1/2-mile route. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, she then dropped back to 1 1/4 miles and easily disposed of a strong field in the Pretty Polly Stakes.

All My Loving, also trained by O'Brien, was four lengths behind her stablemate in third at Epsom and has since run second in a Group 2 at Royal Ascot. Fourth at Epsom was Four Sins, who needs the ground to dry out to be seen at her best. Her trainer, John Oxx, has another credible challenger in Timarwa, a lightly-raced daughter of the E P Taylor and Beverly D. Stakes winner, Timarida.