DARLEY IRISH OAKS

(Group 1)

SHE went into the race as the most intriguing of unknown quantities and she emerged as a middle-distance filly of the highest standing as Covert Love gave Newmarket trainer Hugo Palmer a first classic success in the Darley Irish Oaks.

Only two starts ago Covert Love won a York handicap off a mark of 83 but there followed a listed victory at Newcastle against older fillies and that display moved connections to fork out the €40,000 supplementary fee early last week.

Against a field that included another relentless improver and fellow supplementary entry Curvy and the exciting Words, Covert Love’s striking rise continued unabated in the fastest Irish Oaks for nine years.

Pat Smullen, was winning this race for the first time, could hardly have hoped for smoother run through the race as he sat second while Together Forever set off at a blistering pace to hold a clear lead.

On the approach to the straight the order was unchanged but Covert Love had closed up somewhat while the chasing pack, headed by Curvy, were hard at work as they tried to close in.

For a brief period it looked as though Together Forever might cling on but Smullen had yet to ask his mount for her all and when he did Covert Love responded in fine style.

She forced her way to the front with just over a furlong to run and stayed on stoutly to score by a length and three quarters. The Irish 1000 Guineas fourth Jack Naylor pipped Curvy for the runner-up position while a brave Together Forever secured fourth.

“What a day. I’m to be married next Saturday so this is the last time that I’ll get away with saying that this is the best day of my life,” quipped an ecstatic Palmer, who was saddling his first runner in an Irish classic. “I’m terrified that I’ll now wake up and find that I’m still in my bed in Newmarket.”

“It was an incredible ride from Pat. The leader went off like a scalded cat but Pat took our filly back and made his own running and used that one as a hare. This filly is a lovely, big, rangy type and I do hope that her best days may still be ahead of her.

KICKING MYSELF

“She could be entered for the St Leger but if there was some rain around in August, Pat said the ground was as quick as she’d like, the Yorkshire Oaks would look the race. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t put her in it but at the time she was just an 83-rated handicapper.”

“Mark McStay and Hugo Merry bred her and they put the syndicate that owns her together. A lot of people said no and the syndicate (FOMO) is called the Fear Of Missing Out Syndicate.

“Credit has to go to them. When I said I was thinking of coming here not one of them had a second thought and the €40,000 supplement was every penny of the prize money that she’s won up to now,” concluded Palmer who has made quite an impact since he first began training in March 2011.

Meanwhile Smullen was just as pleased after partnering his eighth Irish classic winner: “The connections were confident of a big run and fair play to them. They felt that she’d get the mile and a half well which she did. I was wary of not letting Seamie (Heffernan on Together Forever) get too far in front and I just didn’t want to be in front too long either. She’s fine, big filly and I think with another winter behind her she could be even better next year.”

Jessica Harrington was delighted with the effort of Jack Naylor who could be aimed at the Yorkshire Oaks. David Wachman expressed himself happy with the efforts of Curvy who has come a long way since winning a Navan handicap off a mark of 72 three months ago.