The replay of the Darley Irish Oaks run at the Curragh on Sunday is a ‘must see’ tape. The Oaks was won by a strongly fancied runner. Sariska, the winner of the Oaks at Epsom in June, was the 11-10 favourite and won as all such well-backed horses are expected to. I watched the Irish Oaks on TVG, an American racing channel, in the comfort of my living room.

Rain had stopped in Kildare County. The going was good and the straight course was good to yielding but as the ten sophomore fillies were let go in the 2400-metre Classic, one could see that the rain soaked course was yielding. Roses For The Lady, Fran Berry up, took a long lead and was on a strong gallop. Midday was third and fourth and raced off the rail. Sariska had one filly beat and two as the field reached the hill for the run to the box. Roses For The Lady showed the way and Midday was struggling and not gaining ground. Attention turned to Sariska, The Michael Bell-trained Pivotal filly was still on the bridle as Jamie Spencer was looking for a way out to make his move. With almost every runner under pressure, a clear path emerged and Spencer steered his filly to the outside. Sariska cruised up alongside the pace-setting Roses For The Lady. Spencer did not move a muscle and Sariska raced into the lead. Jockey Spencer glanced to the right and waved to Fran Berry as if saying good bye. Just before going past the wire, Spencer took a glance to the left as a measure of abundant caution. Sariska won by three lengths in 2 45.84 for the 2400-metre Oaks. Berry and Spencer greeted each other after the wire and jockey Spencer gave a pat on the left flank of Roses For The Lady as if to thank the filly for playing the rabbit’s role with such aplomb.

Sariska is by Pivotal. The dam is Maycocks Bay by Muhtarram. She has now won two Group I races. She has won four races from five starts.

Trainer Michael Bell spoke. “She won on good ground at Epsom. She won on soft ground here. The Yorkshire Oaks is her next target. The Arc is possible but she has to be supplemented. The Prix de l’Opera on Arc day in an option. We will consider everything.”

Spencer, a cerebral rider if you ever saw one, was thrilled. “Jesus, she was electric. I waited as long as I could. She did everything on her own. Fran Berry is a friend and I waved to him as I went past him.”

Talking about Sariska’s potential, jockey Spencer stated, “you must remember this was her only fifth race. She is going to improve a great deal. When I did work with her the last time, she went very well. The question was not if she would win but by how much. It is indeed nice to win a race like this not going beyond the second gear.”

America had a lot of Graded action on Saturday. Let us begin with the Grade I Princess Rooney at Calder (Miami) and the $350,000 event was won by Game Face. Edgar Prado rode Game Face who is trained by Todd Pletcher. The winning margin was six and three quarter lengths in a time of 1 10.74 for 1200 metres. The Princess Rooney Stakes was a ‘you win and you’re in’ race and Game Face now has a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November. Game Face is a four year-old filly by Manifee.

Jockey Prado commented. “This was the first time I rode Game Face. She responded pretty well. The first thing I noticed about her was that she wanted to run a bit too early but she rated for me. It was all about finishing strong from there.”

At Belmont Park, Gio Ponti rallied off the pace to win the Man O’War Stakes. The 2200-metre grass race was run in 2 12.56 and carried a purse of $500,000. Gio Ponti was winning his fourth race in five starts on Belmont’s turf course. Christophe Clement trains the Tale of the Cat colt. Ramon Dominguez was the winning rider. Gio Ponti has now won eight races from 13 outings for earnings of $1,545,800. With the win in the Man O’War, Gion Ponti has won three Graded races in succession.. The Frank Kilroe at Santa Anita and the Manhattan Handicap at Belmont preceded the Man O’War.

Jockey Dominguez talked about the ride. “I was concerned about my position. Though I was in the rear, I was close enough. They were going slow and my horse relaxed. I was outside and five wide into the lane and that is not good for grass horses. I was pleased the way he finished.”

Rail Trip, a 9-1 chance, ran away with the Gold Cup at Hollywood Park. The Jump Start (by A P Indy) colt had failed in his last two races and it was a case of diminishing enthusiasm. Tres Borrachos set the pace and Rail Trip was second and third. As the field made the final turn, Rail Trip had struck the front and nobody was making a run. The winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup had been spotted. Rail Trip won by three lengths in a time of 2 00.75 over the 2000-metre trip on the all weather track. Ron Ellis trains Rail Trip who was ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr. Life Is Sweet lay 12th of 13 and ran on to take third behind Tres Borrachos who held on for the bridesmaid role. Parading, the favourite, was in mid division and in range and could not find another gear.

Trainer Ellis talked about the distance question. “We did not know if he could go a mile and a quarter. There were doubts. We wanted to know which Breeders’ Cup race to shoot for. Now, we know.”

Jockey Valdivia spoke about his journey. “I could not have asked for a better trip. He started making a run going into the far turn and I felt I was loaded. Before I got to the quarter pole, I thought I was going to break the race open.”

The Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, was run on Sunday. Gallant, a 15-1 chance who broke the duck on May 31, won the Graded event by a short head over Milwaukee Appeal, the filly who was the 7-5 chalk. Eye Of The Leopard, winner of the Queen’s Plate, the first leg of the Triple Crown, was a fast-finishing third. Corey Fraser rode Gallant. The purse was $429,350. The final leg will be the Breeders’ Stakes to be run at Woodbine on August 2.

At Arlington Park on Saturday, it was Arlington Million preview day. Just As Well won the Grade III $200,000 Arlington Handicap. Gentleman Chaser was second and Cosmonaut, the favourite, finished third. The top three now have starting berths in the Million on August 8.

Black Tie Affair has been pensioned. The son of Miswaki, 23, was suffering from complications coming from arthritis. Black Tie Affair was 1991 Horse of the Year. He won the BC Classic that year. Before the BC win, Black Tie Affair had won five in a row. The races were the Stephen Foster, the Michigan Mile, the Cornhusker Handicap, the Philip Iselin Handicap and the Washington Park Handicap. Juvenile Diaz, Pat Day, Shane Sellers and Jerry Bailey rode Black Tie Affair in different races. Black Tie Affair stood in Japan for several years. With 18 wins from 45 starts, Black Tie Affair won $3,370,694.

On Monday at Ayr in Scotland, the races were abandoned after the first three events were run. There was a seven horse spill and the card was called off. Jockey Joe Fanning broke a collar bone. Several jockeys escaped with minor injuries.