Johanna Walsh quickened clear inside the final furlongs to win the Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks by four lengths at the Curragh under Dylan Browne McMonagle.(David Betts)
Breandán Ó hUallacháin.
Johanna Walsh (7/2) gave Joseph O’Brien a second Group 1 Oaks success this season when the daughter of Sea The Stars took the €500,000 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at The Curragh.
O’Brien, who won the Betfred Oaks at Epsom Downs, England, in June, with Thundering On, had entered the Group 1 winner in the Irish equivalent, only having to withdraw her on the morning of the Juddmonte Farms-sponsored Irish Oaks due to the filly being off her feed.
County Donegal-born jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle, who won aboard Thundering On at Epsom, then switched mounts to another of the stable’s representatives, Johanna Walsh.
Wathnan Racing’s Ribblesdale Stakes winner at Royal Ascot in June, Earth Shot (9/4), started the Juddmonte Irish Oaks as race favourite. The three-year-old filly was no match on this occasion for Johanna Walsh, who had finished runner-up to William Haggas’ daughter of Time Test at Royal Ascot, as the O’Brien-conditioned filly registered a most impressive four-length victory in the one-and-a-half-mile Group 1 race at The Curragh Racecourse.
Fastest Time Since 2025
Johanna Walsh, a €460,000 purchase when offered at Goffs Orby Book 1 by Norelands, clocked 2:28.49 – the fastest since 2005 and the fourth-fastest in the race’s history, in this her first black type win and her first Group 1 victory.
Joseph O’Brien, who has this season claimed the Betfred Oaks and now the Juddmonte Irish Oaks, was clearly delighted by Johanna Walsh’s performance when he spoke to the assembled media after The Curragh feature.
“It was a huge performance – from the three to the two (furlong pole) she really came alive and is a hugely exciting filly for the future,” the Carriganóg-based handler said.
“We thought we had a messy enough trip at Ascot and Dylan (Browne McMonagle, jockey) said she was waiting all way up the straight there, but it was messy for Earth Shot too so it was hard to quantify. On that, we thought she was a real live contender, and I’m delighted for Wells Watson (owner) and Andrew Cary (who purchased the filly at Goffs). She has a big pedigree and it’s a pleasure to get the opportunity to train her.”
Inis Mór (11/2), trained in England by David Menuisier claimed the runner-up position for Irish-born British champion jockey Oisín Murphy.
Sparán Nua (8/1), trained by 84-year-old Jim Bolger, and ridden by Declan McDonagh, was third home, three-quarters-of-one-length behind the second-placed filly.
Rebel Moon (12/1), another Joseph O’Brien-conditioned runner in the race, was fourth, in the hands of Joey Sheridan, a further half-of-one-length behind.
The punters’ choice, Earth Shot, trained in England by William Haggas, the son-in-law of legendary former jockey Lester Piggott was a disappointing sixth at the wire.
26th Group 1 Winner For Sea The Stars
Describing the race, winning rider Dylan Browne McMonagle, admitted:
“It was unreal. She was very straightforward from the get-go and relaxed good. She’s a filly with a lot of gears and put the race to bed in a matter of strides.
“She was cherry-ripe for the day and wasn’t a bad substitute! (for her stable companion Thundering On). I thought she was a little bit better than she showed at Ascot and it was push-button stuff today.
“She is improving with each run and handles this fast ground well. She is a filly with a lot of class. We had three good fillies in it and with Thundering On being a little bit special it is hard to know what she would have done, but it’s all worked out in my favour today.”
Johanna Walsh, who was bred by Sunderland Holdings, is the third winner of the Juddmonte Oaks for her sire, Sea The Stars, who won with Sea Of Class in 2018 and again with Star Catcher twelve months later. She is also a 26th Group 1 winner for her sire.
The now two-time winner, Johanna Walsh, holds entries in the Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, England, on 30 July, and the filly out of the Dawn Approach mare Miss Aiglonne has also been entered for the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks at York, England, on 20 August.
