Runners break from the stalls in the Munster Oaks with winner Venus De Milo coming from stall three © Photo Healy Racing
Venus De Milo showed her class as she took the Group Three Munster Oaks (formerly the Noblesse Stakes) for Aidan and Joseph O’Brien.
The four-year-old daughter of Duke Of Marmalade won the Group Three Give Thanks Stakes over the course and distance last August, while she also finished second in two Group One contests, the Irish Oaks and the Yorkshire Oaks.
She finished a disappointed eighth on her seasonal reappearance at Leopardstown just over a week ago and she was sent off a 5/2 chance this afternoon having opened at 5/4 last night and 2/1 on-course.
Having raced in sixth throughout she took closer order approaching the straight and got a lovely run through on the rail.
She was ridden and arrived with her challenge two furlongs out, getting to the front a furlong from home before keeping on well from there to score by a length and a quarter. Dazzling (6/1 to 9/2), also trained by O’Brien, ran a fine race to finish second in first time cheekpieces under Seamie Heffernan, while Circling also in first time cheekpieces, finished a further three parts of a length back in third. Edelmira went off the well-backed 6/4 favourite (5/2 overnight and from 7/4 on-course) under Pat Smullen for Dermot Weld but she could only manage a disappointing sixth.
Joseph O'Brien said afterwards: "She wants very quick ground and ground is a big thing to her.
"She still looked a bit heavy today but she did it well and it was nice to get a win with her.
"She might step back into Group One company now over a mile and a half on fast ground."
STEWARDS REPORT
P.J. Smullen, rider of Edelmira, trained by D. K. Weld, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount was feeling the ground in the closing stages.
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
