PEPPER NOT HOT ENOUGH FOR EVEN SO
EVEN SO proved too hot for favourite Cayenne Pepper – and the O’Brien battalions – in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh last night.
Aidan O’Brien saddled four of the eight runners – Ennistymon, Passion, Snow and Laburnum – as he sought to equal Sir Michael Stoute’s record of six Irish Oaks triumphs, while son Joseph ran New York Girl.
But Passion’s third place was the best Ireland’s champion trainer could manage as Even So held 2-1 market leader Cayenne Pepper by one length to double the Classic tally of trainer Ger Lyons (below) and jockey Colin Keane, successful with Siskin in the Irish 2,000 Guineas last month.
Ennistymon, who had finished second to stable-companion Love in the Oaks at Epsom – three places ahead of Passion – trailed home last of the octet.
“She’s the queen, isn’t she?” said Lyons of the winner, the first horse he has trained for O’Brien snr’s bosses at the Coolmore Stud.
“I don’t think it was ever in doubt.”
The daughter of Camelot had booked her place in the Curragh line-up when a neck behind yesterday’s fourth Laburnum in the Oaks Trial at Naas two weeks earlier and Lyons added: “I liked her from the very get-go.
“Did I think she was an Oaks filly? No, I didn’t – but when she won her trial, she earned her right.
“It’s strange with no people here, but I’ll take it – I think we need the country in lockdown for us to thrive!”
With six Aidan O’Brien runners in the 11-strong field, Siskins Irish 2,000 Guineas success was gained in a race of high drama.
But Keane said of Even So’s win: “It was very straightforward.
“I had a lovely pitch and I couldn’t believe how well my filly was going between the two and the one.
“When I picked her up she really got it together and stretched the whole way to the line.
“Coming here, if we got third it was brilliant, and anything after that was a bonus.
“It was a big step up in class but to go and do it the way she did was just brilliant.”