Irish Racing / Wayne Bailey / 09 July 2009 / Leave a comment

Wayne Bailey takes a look ahead to Sunday's big race at the Curragh, where Sariska will once again lock horns with Midday...

We've the Irish Oaks to look forward to this weekend but unfortunately, attendance figures at Irish HQ are not expected to be large - despite the presence of Epsom Oaks winner Sariska. While the economic downturn has played a big part in falling numbers, so too has tradition - and horse racing must embrace the modern TV era if it wants to survive.

There is no reason whatsoever that the Irish Oaks could not be run on Sunday evening when the bigger sporting events have finished. There are still some traditionalists that believe that an evening Oaks just wouldn't feel right. But frankly, that's just not good enough anymore and we must realise that other sports are bigger than racing. Also on this Sunday afternoon for example, is the Gaelic Football Leinster Final at Croke Park where Dublin take on Kildare. While Dublin obviously has a huge racing market, a lot of the locals that live in towns around the Curragh will be following the Kildare football team on Sunday instead of going racing - and Croke Park has sold out to a capacity crowd of 82,000.

The GAA TV figures will be extremely high too and it's impossible for the Irish Oaks to compete with just one other Group race on the card. Gaelic Football is one of Ireland's biggest sports; and any big match in the afternoon will almost certainly take precedence on televisions in homes and pubs around the country.

The 2009 Punchestown Festival moved away from tradition by staging evening racing and most agree that it was a success. The attendance figures were bigger than expected as people were able to do a half-day of work in the morning and then go racing at tea-time. The TV figures were some of the best ever seen for Punchestown and anyone I met down there seemed to think it was a good idea. As much as I love spending an afternoon at the Curragh, we have to move with the times or else we'll be left behind. In fairness, the Curragh are offering a reduced admission price of €10 and a free bet to anyone wearing a Dublin or Kildare jersey - but going forward, greater consideration to the sporting calendar as a whole must be given.

But on to the race itself, and Sariska will no doubt go off as short-priced favourite. Connections of both Sariska and Midday had to fork out €50,000 each to supplement their horses late, so this should be a pretty good renewal. Sariska battled hard at Epsom but got there in the end - and it was amusing to read some racing forums later where some suggested that Spencer (of all people) let her go too early! The poor guy just can't win.

She veered left somewhat at Epsom but I reckon the Curragh course should suit better. It was reported that she returned from the Oaks with a cut on her hind leg and if this is the case, even more credit must be given for that win.

Midday had a lot to make up in the Oaks but ran extremely well considering she didn't get a clear passage throughout. It was a good battle and she should have more to come. By my ratings, she won't have enough to reverse the form but it should be a close race.

Of the home challenge, Jim Bolger's Oh Goodness Me may be worth a place bet depending on prices. She was a bit keen early on at Epsom and if kept under control she may be able to make a better challenge this time around.

Verdict
Not very original, but Sariska is the obvious choice. I'd expect her price to be shorter on the day so if you are thinking of backing her, I'd suggest you take the [2.3] on Betfair which is the best price available at the moment. For the place market, Oh Goodness Me may be worth a chance but I'll wait until the day of racing before placing that bet.

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