RAHA CAN SEAL HAT-TRICK OF OAKS TITLES AT LIMERICK

Peter Farrell

Tonight will see the Epic Hero Limerick Oaks come to a conclusion at the Munster venue and all eyes will be on Raha Mofo as she bids to seal a hat-trick of Oaks victories after landing the Sporting Press Irish Oaks at Shelbourne Park, as well as the GRI Galway Oaks in 2022.

Kindly sponsored by Ger Hutton, the Epic Hero Limerick Oaks has produced some brilliant action at Limerick over the past number of weeks and the €2,800 feature is sure to attract a bumper crowd. Raha Mofo, despite being narrowly defeated last time out, is certain to still go off favourite and she will be hard to contain based on her performances thus far. Although not producing her very best as of yet at Limerick, Marissa Molly’s brilliant servant produced an incredible run to recover when seemingly on the verge of making a shock exit last weekend. Drawn in trap three this time around, which looks perfect, expect the Murt Leahy-trained star to excel from the outset and post some sizzling figures as a result. Raha Mofo looks cherry-ripe for a huge effort and it would come as a shock should she suffer back-to-back defeats. Of her rivals however, threats are aplenty and Rafas Friend looks the most likely to capitalize should Raha Mofo make any mistakes. Jointly owned by Lorraine Keane and Noreen O’Connor, the daughter of Droopys Sydney was a brilliant winner of her semi final in a fastest of the semis, 28.53, and she will benefit from being perfectly housed in trap one. She is crucially drawn on the inside of Raha Mofo and should she reproduce that 1.31 early sectional, she is likely to be disputing to the opening corner. Quivers Magic is another with claims. Trained by Adam Dunford for P.J and Charles Sugrue, there was a lot to like about her winning performance last weekend but she hasn’t had much luck in terms of the draw and will need to negotiate a tricky pitch in trap four. Of the other finalists, Beaming Becca will be finishing fast and will look to take advantage of any early traffic. Corona Ryan’s bitch is favorably drawn in the striped jacket and given Courty Girl is likely to race prominently early, she should have plenty of room to stretch her legs. The aforementioned Courty Girl, as mentioned, will look to implement trap-to-line tactics for John Meelam and John Byrne. The consistent daughter of Laughil Blake has brilliant early speed and she should have no issues leading both bitches on either side. That leaves Glengar Aurora. Trained by Pat Buckley for R.A Colwell, this bitch has shown glimpses of the powerful engine she possesses and she warrants big respect despite not raising a flag since arriving in Limerick. Her Enniscorthy form is fantastic and like Rafas Friend, she should receive a relatively clear passage early on being drawn on the inside of Raha Mofo. Selection – Raha Mofo