Irish Oaks Betting Tips, Offers and Odds

Irish Oaks day at the Curragh is one of the County Kildare venue’s main events of the year. Read on for the best odds and offers, as well as our betting tips for this historic Classic contest.

First run at the Curragh in 1895, this 1m4f Group 1 contest for the three year old fillies is the penultimate Irish Classic of the season and now offers €400,000 in total prizes. Follow are tips or not but be sure to take a look at all the available horse racing free bets for this race. Why turn down extra value if all it takes is joining a new betting site?

Betting Tips and Odds

The Irish Oaks is one of the biggest races in the calendar for three-year-old fillies. Like its equivalent run at Epsom, it’s a Group 1 contest which takes place over 1 mile and 4 furlongs. That’s the distance that so many of the best horses in training regularly compete over and we certainly have a strong selection making up the field for the 2019 renewal.

O’Brien to Rise to Another Huge Test

The various Classics that take place during the course of the season are among the most valuable and prestigious races in flat racing. Winning any of them sees a horse go down in history but poor performances at this early stage of their racing career is far from damning.

That was very much the feeling about Pink Dogwood after she finished second at the Epsom Oaks. She did nothing wrong for the bulk of the race and was all set to claim another win for Aidan O’Brien before Anapurna’s incredible finish robbed her.

Connections’ disappointment was offset by the number of big races still left to target and the sizeable amount of room for improvement that is left for Pink Dogwood. Unfortunately, that positivity was weakened following a poor showing in the Pretty Polly Stakes.

Pink Dogwood just didn’t look right that day but it’s tough to put your finger on why. What we can be sure of is that O’Brien and Ryan Moore will be fully aware of what went wrong and learned even more about this potentially high class filly.

It is encouraging to see her back to work so soon after that run which suggests she could get back to the levels expected of her. If O’Brien has sorted her out at home and she bounces back to win at the very top level it would go down as yet another incredible feat in a career full of highlights for the legend of the training world.

Maybe De Vega

Antonia De Vega is another filly who still has to prove herself at this level. That’s because she’s only been able to make one performance so far as a three-year-old. It was tough for Ralph Beckett that one of the stars of his yard was unable to run in any of the English Classics but she has a chance to make up for missed time at the Curragh.

Although she was a little rusty in the early stages of her comeback performance against Listed company at Newbury, Antonia De Vega looked every bit as high class as ever when getting into her stride. With room for more improvement, she could just spring a surprise on Saturday.

Irish Oaks Predictions

Pink Dogwood has a big task ahead of her to prove that she is as good as we all thought she was following the Oaks at Epsom. Punters are still giving her support in the betting but the odds available on Aidan O’Brien’s charge remain more than fair with Coral going 3/1 about her chances.

Perhaps the best value in the whole race is the 12/1 that bet365 are quoting on Antonia De Vega. Ralph Beckett believed she could be a star after her two-year-old campaign and she can show why by grabbing at least a place.

Previous Winners

2018 – Sea Of Class – jockey James Doyle, trainer William Haggas
2017 – Enable – jockey Frankie Dettori, trainer John Gosden
2016 – Seventh Heaven – jockey Seamie Heffernan, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2015 – Covert Love – jockey Pat Smullen, trainer Hugo Palmer
2014 – Bracelet – jockey Colm O’Donoghue, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2013 – Chicquita – jockey Johnny Murtagh, trainer Alain de Royer-Dupré
2012 – Great Heavens – jockey William Buick, trainer John Gosden
2011 – Blue Bunting – jockey Frankie Dettori, trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni
2010 – Snow Fairy – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Ed Dunlop
2009 – Sariska – jockey Jamie Spencer, trainer Michael Bell
2008 – Moonstone – jockey Johnny Murtagh, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2007 – Peeping Fawn – jockey Johnny Murtagh, trainer Aidan O’Brien
2006 – Alexandrova – jockey Kieren Fallon, trainer Aidan O’Brien

Race History

The Irish Oaks was first run at the Curragh in 1895, 116 years after its English forbearer first took place at Epsom Downs. The initial distance of one mile was however more in line with the other Classic contests of the 1000 and 2000 Guineas. 1915 marked the year in which the race was first held over 1m4f and it has remained this way ever since.

The prestige and value of this final fillies-only Classic of the British and Irish season has steadily grown since the win of Sapling in that inaugural edition, with the race now regularly attracting fillies to have run at Epsom, as well as a number of classy performers from France.

Doing the Double

It took over 50 years until Masaka entered the record books as the first filly to record the English and Irish Oaks double. Star performers such as Altesse Royale, Juliette Marny, Fair Salinia and Blue Wind are amongst those to have repeated this feat since then.

One of the most successful winners in the history of this race, certainly on an international scale, is the 1973 heroine, Dahlia. In addition to her success here, the Maurice Zilber trained filly also boasted top level wins in England, France, Canada and the USA. Highlights included a six length slamming of the field in the 1973 King George. One of the racing worlds truly brilliant fillies, she has the first female runner anywhere in the world to earn more than $1million.

Best of the Best?

The greatest winner of the early 21st century was undoubtedly the Ed Dulop trained Ouija Board. Having also scored at Epsom, this daughter of Cape Cross went on to further success in the Hong Kong Vase and most famously of all at the Breeders Cup. Having won the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf in 2004, and then finishing second in the same race in 2005, Ouija Board became just the second horse to regain a Breeder’s Cup title of any description when again conquering her rivals in 2006.

Best Trainers and Jockeys

The accolade of most successful trainer belongs not to an Irishman but an Englishman. With six wins in all between the years of 1978 and 2000, it is Sir Michael Stoute who leads the way.

Six is also the magic number amongst the jockeys. Having passed Willie Carson’s record of four wins, when riding Moonstone to victory for Aidan O’Brien in 2008, Irishman Johnny Murtagh moved further clear when teaming up with French trainer Alain de Royer-Dupré for Chicquita’s success in 2013.