THERE was more than a touch of class about the victory of Sea Of Class in the Darley Irish Oaks on Saturday. On just her fourth ever run, she came to the Curragh, an away game in many respects, and she won comfortably, beating the Epsom Oaks winner with the pair of them pulling clear. And now William Haggas's filly could be set for big things.

Coming to the Curragh and taking on a Ballydoyle brigade is a tough fixture for any raiding horse and the race again looked set up nicely for Aidan O’Brien’s fillies to prosper. The pace was lackadaisical in the context of a classic race and Sea Of Class was held up and indeed still last of the seven runners heading into the straight. Forever Together hit the front at the two furlong pole but it was here that Sea Of Class picked up for James Doyle, gradually moving up gears and although she never really looked like the winner until they flashed past the post, there was a real element of snugness about her margin of victory in the end.