Soft ground forecast for Darley Irish Oaks

Go Go Go Horse Race: Curragh manager Paul Hensey is anticipating soft ground for this weekend's Darley Irish Oaks meeting.

The fillies' Classic takes centre stage on Sunday with the likes of Aidan O'Brien's Epsom winner Was and runner-up Shirocco Star, likewise because the John Gosden-trained nice Heavens, amongst the entries.

Further rain at the track has seen the bottom flip significant, however Hensey is expecting conditions to boost as higher weather is forecast.

"We had 5.5 millimetres of rain last night thus we've got modified the bottom to significant this morning," he told At The Races on Wednesday morning.

"The forecast is for higher weather from currently till the weekend thus hopefully can|we'll|we are going to} get some smart weather and therefore the ground will improve.

"I assume the likelihood is that that we'll presumably be on soft ground."

Eleven fillies are in competition for the cluster One event, however Hensey believes the standard of the sector quite compensates for volume of runners.

"Numerically it in all probability will not be as a giant a race for the Oaks as we've had within the past, however this race has invariably been of the best quality," he said.

"If you recollect over the years, we've got had all the highest fillies in Europe to run in it and it should be one in all the simplest fillies' races in Europe over the years.

"I assume it is a smart renewal this year.

"There's the primary and second from the Epsom Oaks still in, Princess Highway is extremely, terribly highly thought of by Dermot Weld and that i assume the one to look at is nice Heavens, who was supplemented yesterday.

"She's proven on that ground, she won the Lancashire Oaks and could be a superb filly with a decent pedigree."