Ten months on from her last outing in the crucible of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, Moyglare Stud homebred Joailliere (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) returns to The Curragh for the season opener on Sunday to make up for lost time for the Weld-Smullen axis in the G3 Lodge Park Stud EBF Park Express S. Sent off at just 10-1 for that mile Classic on the back of a seven-length debut maiden win over seven furlongs at Gowran Park in April, the half-sister to the stable's group performers Carla Bianca (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) and True Solitaire (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) was not disgraced when ninth there after meeting trouble in running and has always enjoyed a smart reputation at Rosewell House. All the leading yards are out in force, with Ballydoyle represented by the once-raced Fluff (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to the talented Maybe (Ire) who is another coming back from a lengthy absence, having scored with authority in a mile maiden at Navan last April. Jim Bolger intriguingly puts forward the unraced Elusive Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) alongside the Listed Zetland S.-winning 3-year-old Glamorous Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), while Godolphin's Devonshire (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) sets a benchmark, having been third in the Irish Guineas in May. Last seen finishing an unlucky seventh in the GI E. P. Taylor S. in October, the Willie McCreery-trained 4-year-old is reported in ideal shape for this re-introduction. “The ground and conditions should suit her and she seems in good form,” her trainer said. “We'll see how she runs on Sunday and then we'll try to target her at a few Group 1s throughout the year. Maybe the Matron could be a target, but she would need to step up.”
A side story of note in this race is the return to Europe of Kieren Fallon as he forges a new link with trainer Michael O'Callaghan, getting their partnership underway on the smart Military Angel (Big Brown), who was second in the G3 Fairy Bridge S. at just shy of this trip at Tipperary on her penultimate start in August.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
