Earth Shot will keep aiming high despite Curragh defeat

Connection of Earth Shot are content to forgive her disappointing Irish Oaks performance and “move forward with confidence” after quick conditions scuppered her quest for Classic honours at the Curragh.

William Haggas’ daughter of Time Test, who was snapped up by leading owners Wathnan Racing prior to winning the Ribblesdale Stakes, failed to follow up her Royal Ascot heroics when sent off the 9-4 favourite in Ireland.

Earth Shot finished a well-held sixth as the filly who was a head behind her at the Royal meeting, Joseph O’Brien’s Johanna Walsh, scorched to an impressive success.

The Wathnan team have quickly pointed to the “lightning fast” conditions at Irish racing headquarters for the below-par display and although the Somerville Lodge inmate may be saved for kinder conditions in the future, there will be no lowering of ambitions for a filly with a raft of high-ranking options.

Wathnan’s racing adviser Richard Brown said: “It was disappointing and she’d beaten the winner at Royal Ascot, but we think the ground was just too quick for her, so we’ll put a line through it and go again.

“It was very fast ground, she doesn’t need soft ground but we won’t run her on very fast ground again. It may be the case she got away with it once at Ascot, but the guys were saying it was exceptionally quick at the Curragh, lightning fast.

“I think she’ll be fine staying at a mile and a half for now and then we might explore stepping up in trip later on.

“There’s nothing pencilled in for her at this stage, but we won’t be shy and we’ll see what the ground is like in races like the Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille. She’s a Group Two winner already and we’re just going to put a line through that and move forward with confidence.”