Estranged along with Jockey Danny Tudhope heads back to the winner’s circle, Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Estrange (13/8) won the Group 1 Paddy Power Pretty Stakes at The Curragh Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland, on Sunday, the feature race of day two of the three-day Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Weekend.
Trained in England by Fermoy, Co. Cork-born David O’Meara, the consistent five-year-old was winning her first race at the highest level.
The Joseph O’Brien-handled Thundering On, a highly impressive winner in the Betfred Oaks at Epsom Downs, England, on her previous start, was the pre-race favourite among punters.
Taking her customary position at the rear of the field, the Frankel filly never really dealt a serious blow at the business end of the contest, as Estrange and jockey Danny Tudhope ran out one-and-a-quarter length winners over 18/1 chance One Look, in the hands of the visiting James Doyle.
Red Letter (17/2) with Colin Keane in the saddle was third, another half-length next in third, while the 11/10 favourite Thundering On was next home, under Dylan Browne McMonagle, a further half-length back.
“It Could Be The Making Of Her”
“There is a big weight-for-age allowance here for the three-year-olds and I did not know whether that would tell in the last half-a-furlong,” admitted winning conditioner David O’Meara, who has been based in England since the end of his riding career.
“She travelled nicely to the two (furlong pole), I think the drop back in trip has helped – it certainly has not been a negative. It could be the making of her – maybe we have been running her over the wrong trip! Brilliant, I’m delighted for Cheveley Park (Stud, winning owners).”
The georgeous-looking grey Estrange is now a six-time winner, and has also been placed once, in nine career starts.
She is a winner of races from five furlongs to one mile and two furlongs, on varying types of ground from firm to soft. Her first race of the 2026 season saw her claim success in the Group 3 Betway Lester Piggott Filles’ Stakes at Carlise, England.
This afternoon’s victory was just reward for the ultra-consistent filly who is out of an Oasis Dream mare called Alienate. Estrange’s form figures now read 1-1122-11.
The win for Estrange gave her sire Night Of Thunder, based at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, another Group 1 victory, following a successful Royal Ascot for the Godophin-owned stallion.
O’Brien, Moore & Coolmore Partners Double
Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore and the Coolmore partners won the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes over six furlongs with Sun Goddess – the second part of a double on the day.
Sun Goddess (2/7 favourite), a juvenile filly by Sioux Nation, went to Royal Ascot last week as the most likely two-year-old winner for connections, but was defeated in the Group 3 Albany Stakes, when runner-up to Libertango.
This afternoon, she was very much the class entry in the seven-runner fillies’ race, as she took a comfortable three-quarters-of-one-length success from Joseph O’Brien’s Green Empress (9/1), now second on her two starts to date.
O’Brien completed an opening-race trifecta as the Ryan Moore-ridden stable choice Giant Sequoia (4/9 favourite), a daughter of Frankel, led home her Ballydoyle companions Oklahoma (6/1), with Wayne Lordan riding, and Shakespeare (15/2), a chestnut son of Dubawi, in the hands of five-pound claiming rider Jack Cleary.
