Cold weather may have scuppered County Kildare trainer Kevin Prendergast’s attempt to get his crack filly Termagant to Newmarket this weekend but the unbeaten Group One winner is bang on course for a tilt at the £350,000 Group One Investec Oaks over a mile and a half at Epsom Downs on Friday, June 4.
The filly landed both her starts last term, following up a good ground victory in a Leopardstown maiden in June with a fine triumph in the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs on heavy going at the Curragh on August 30.
Having sidestepped the StanJames.com 1000 Guineas on Sunday, the Joerg Vasicek-owned Termagent could emulate 2001 Investec Oaks heroine Imagine, who landed the Irish 1,000 Guineas en route to Epsom Downs glory.
Prendergast revealed this morning: “Termagant definitely has the Investec Oaks on her agenda. All being well, she will run in the Irish 1,000 Guineas in three week’s time and then go to Epsom.
“We are happy with her. She is just starting to come right now; we wanted to run her in the English 1000 Guineas but she didn’t come to hand in time. I don’t know whether or not it was as bad in England but we had a terrible winter here.
“She did nothing wrong last year and all she has to do is repeat and improve on it and she could be thereabouts.
“I wouldn’t think she’d have a problem getting a mile and a half. She is by Powerscourt, who was a good stayer, and is out of a mile and a quarter family, so that should be just the job.
“Ideally, she wants good, dry ground but as she showed last year, she can handle soft ground.”
Prendergast also has the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned Nayef filly Alsalwa entered in the Investec Oaks.
He revealed: “Alsalwa had a little bit of a setback so I won’t know for about 10 days whether she has a chance of making it or not.”
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