THE presence of Minnie Hauk at long odds-on means the Juddmonte Irish Oaks (3.40) isn’t the most competitive renewal we’ve seen of late, but the same can’t be said for the Group 2 Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes (3.05) on today’s Curragh card.

The €120,000 prize has gone for export in each of the last two years and there’s every chance the visitors could do the same again in 2025, with a British-trained duo topping the market after declarations.

Any hopes Mgheera could add a Group 1 to her winning sequence from Group 2 and Group 3 company this season were dashed at Royal Ascot last month, when she spread a plate before the start of the King Charles III Stakes and had to be withdrawn at the stalls.

However, she might now have a tailormade opportunity to make it three wins from three starts since joining Ed Walker this season, as she does not have to give away a penalty for being a Group 2 winner in this contest.

Haydock form

Behind her last time when landing the Temple Stakes at Haydock were King Charles III-scorer American Affair and one of her main rivals this afternoon, the Jonathan Portman-trained Rumstar, who comes here on the back of a second group race victory of the season at Sandown two weeks ago.

That fast-finishing success in the Coral Charge came at the expense of Irish speedball She’s Quality, who finished second to Mgheera in the Temple on her previous outing. That form means there ought to be little to split the two British hopes, though the handicapper has rated Rumstar 5lb superior.

Speaking about the decision to supplement the in-form Rumstar for this race at a cost of €12,000 this week, Portman said: “We felt we’d been banging our head against the wall a bit in good company, so we’d made a conscious decision not to spend [his owner] Mr Ward’s money on entries - but then he goes and runs such a good race like he did at Sandown to give us a bit more faith.

All speed

“Whether it is the right thing is another matter entirely. Otherwise, there’s just nowhere else to run him, as we’re very keen to keep him at five furlongs. He displayed a good turn of foot at Newmarket [when beating She’s Quality in the Palace House Stakes] and again at Sandown. He didn’t disgrace himself at Haydock or Ascot, either [when sixth and 14th].

“He’s come out of Sandown very well, I know it’s only a few weeks, but it’s all about what other options there were and they were very limited. Only the result itself will tell us if we’re being wise or not.”

Domestic team

There is a useful Irish squad trying to keep the prize on home soil, though, headed up by Commonwealth Cup second Arizona Blaze and rising star Powerful Nation.

On ground conditions at Irish flat racing headquarters, Portman added: “He won at Ascot on soft last October, but it wasn’t as soft as people say it was. He got away with it there. He’d be fine unless it got silly soft.”

The latest going update from the Curragh on Friday noted the ground was good, good to yielding in places following 1.5mm of rain the previous night. The forecast indicated a mainly dry Friday and Saturday, with the possibility of scattered showers and then heavier rain from Saturday into Sunday. Racing takes place on the middle track and there is fresh ground for both days.