MINNIE HAUK UP FOR MAJOR OAKS DOUBLE

Irish trainer O'Brien chasing rare feat with lightly raced filly, with five others as back-up

- Michael Lee

Such is Aidan O'Brien's outrageous dominance in UK racing, especially on his Irish home soil, that an enviable record of seven trophies in the Group 1 Irish Oaks (2,400m) is

oddly enough, not among one of his most prominent silverware hauls.

The Ballydoyle maestro breaks records like a broken record in classics like the English Derby (II) or Irish Derby (17), to name a few, but somehow, he has been "less prolific" with the fillies in the British isles classics.

Seven is also his score in the Group 1 Epsom Oaks (2,400m), but, amazingly, he is still by a long chalk the leading trainer for the Irish version despite the softer grip on the 130-year-old The Curragh €500,000 ($$747,000) showpiece.

The statistics tell the story. Despite O'Brien's peerless 30-year-long success story, he racked up his first Irish Oaks success only at his 10th year of training in 2006 with Alexandrova.

It has not been a case of the floodgates being flung wide open since, but the last 18 years have seen his tally boosted significantly, with Savethelastdance his last triumph in 2023 and he is now odds-on to extend it to eight on Saturday, July 19.