Minnie Hauk gives O'Brien huge chance at eighth Irish Oaks victory
On form and in the betting markets, Minnie Hauk is a lock to give trainer Aidan O’Brien his eighth victory in the Irish Oaks.
Winner of the Oaks at Epsom last month, Minnie Hauk faces six foes Saturday at The Curragh in this 1 1/2-mile fixture. Offered at roughly 1-5 on Friday by English betting houses, Minnie Hauk apparently would have to take a wrong turn into the Irish countryside in order to lose the Oaks.
Quietly campaigned at age 2, Minnie Hauk, a daughter of Frankel and the Dansili mare Multilingual, used the Chester Oaks as a prep for her major goal at Epsom Downs, where Ryan Moore guided her to a neck victory over her stablemate Whirl. How good is Whirl? She returned to action June 28 at The Curragh and defeated older rivals in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes. The distant third-place finisher in the Oaks, Desert Flower, probably didn’t stay the trip, but was coming off a win in the English 1000 Guineas.
The only other filly taking any betting is Wemightakedlongway, fourth in the Pretty Polly and soundly defeated at Epsom. No trainer has won more renewals of the Irish Oaks than O’Brien, and it will be a shock if he fails to add to that total Saturday.
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