By Tom Frary
There were no anxious moments for takers of the generous 4-6 odds on offer for Ballydoyle's returning Minnie Hauk (Frankel) as she breezed through Monday's G2 Clem Murphy Memorial Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at The Curragh.
Last year's Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks heroine is on course for a rematch with her Arc conqueror Daryz at Royal Ascot and could not have begun her four-year-old campaign any more impressively as Ryan Moore proved a passenger in the 10-furlong contest.
Setting up like a piece of work, she gave her pacemaker Edward Hamilton (Frankel) plenty of rope but was always comfortable and hit the line ears pricked with 1 3/4 lengths to spare over that 125-1 shot. Adelaide River (Australia) was another 1 1/2 lengths away in third.
“That was a lovely start back with a view to coming back to the Tattersalls [Gold Cup]–everything went perfectly,” O'Brien said. “She was just ready to start, so the race will bring her the rest of the way. She relaxed very well, came out of the gates travelling and won snug. After the Tatts she'll go Ascot for the Prince of Wales's, that's the plan in our heads if everything keeps going well.”
MINNIE HAUK 🤩
A winning return under Ryan Moore in the Group Two Clem Murphy Memorial @IrishEBF_ Mooresbridge Stakes for Aidan O'Brien @curraghrace 🟣⚪️ pic.twitter.com/dr6zZUxVZ2
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 4, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Coolmore's €1.85 million 2023 Goffs Orby Book 1 topper Minnie Hauk is out of Dansili's Multilingual, Juddmonte's $525,000 cast-off at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale whose first foal was the G2 Summer Mile and G3 Thoroughbred Stakes winner and Prix d'Ispahan runner-up Tilsit (First Defence). The second dam is Zamindar's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Zenda, producer of the brilliant miler and prominent sire Kingman, as well as Dansili's G3 Tercentenary Stakes winner Remote and Frankel's First Eleven who was Group 3-placed.
Zenda's daughters Present Tense (Bated Breath), Panzanella (Dansili), Pleasantry (Johannesburg) and Rio Carnival (Storm Cat) all proved black-type producers in their own right, with the former's son Macduff (Sea The Stars) finishing second in the G3 Sandown Classic Trial. Zenda is a half-sister to Green Desert's champion sprinter and leading sire Oasis Dream. Multilingual's three-year-old filly Voice Coach (No Nay Never) has yet to race, while she also has a yearling filly by Justify and was bred back to that sire in 2026.
Monday, Curragh, Ireland
CLEM MURPHY MEMORIAL IRISH EBF MOORESBRIDGE STAKES-G2, €130,000, Curragh, 5-4, 4yo/up, 10fT, 2:06.50, gd.
1–MINNIE HAUK (IRE), 128, f, 4, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Multilingual (GB), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Zenda (GB), by Zamindar
3rd Dam: Hope (Ire), by Dancing Brave
(€1,850,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-B V Sangster; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €78,000. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire & G1SP-Fr, 9-6-2-0, $2,869,892. *1/2 to Tilsit (First Defence), MGSW-Eng & G1SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Edward Hamilton (Ire), 131, g, 4, Frankel (GB)–Blue Kimono (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Peter M Brant, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-White Birch Farm SC; T-Aidan O'Brien. €26,000.
3–Adelaide River (Ire), 131, h, 6, Australia (GB)–Could It Be Love, by War Front. O-Adelaide River Partnership; B-Coolmore; T-Joseph O'Brien. €13,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1HF, 3 1/4. Odds: 0.67, 125.00, 11.00.
Also Ran: Tiberius Thunder (Ire), Beset (GB), Shaool (Ire). Scratched: Cercene (Ire).
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