Minnie Hauk cruises to victory on return to action Minnie Hauk got her season off to a winning start with an impressive victory in the Clem Murphy Memorial Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh. The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly was a dual Oaks winner last term who also added the Yorkshire Oaks to her CV before missing out by just a head to Daryz in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Major targets are in the pipeline later in the season once more but before any of those could be considered she needed to show all her old enthusiasm remained. Having looked lively in the paddock and sweating up on the way to post she drifted out to 4-6 in the betting, but those who backed never really had a moment of worry. Last seen finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at the end of a long season, she track her stablemate Edward Hamilton before lengthening away to win by a length and three-quarters under Ryan Moore. O’Brien, who enjoyed a Classic-winning weekend with True Love in the 1000 Guineas said: “That was lovely. You’d be delighted with that. “The plan was to come back here and we wanted a nice, even pace so she could get back into gear a little bit. We didn’t want a dawdle. “Ryan was very happy with her. He said he just let her point her toe a bit in the last furlong. The Tattersalls Gold Cup (May 24) is the plan and then on to Ascot, that’s the perfect prep for it.”
