Johanna Walsh continues Sea The Stars' banner week with Irish Oaks glory

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Johanna Walsh built on the promise of her Ribblesdale Stakes runner-up effort with Classic glory in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks on Saturday. She became the 26th individual Group or Grade 1 winner for her sire, the brilliant Sea The Stars.

Appropriately, the exciting filly was bred by Sunderland Holding, the operation run by Sea The Stars' owner-breeders the Tsui family. A €460,000 purchase by Cary Bloodstock from Goffs Orby Book 1 in 2024, the Wells Watson-owned filly is the fourth foal out of the placed Dawn Approach mare Miss Aiglonne, a half-sister to Sea The Stars' Prix d'Ispahan scorer Mekhtaal.

The Joseph O'Brien-trained filly was the second Group 1 winner of the week for Sea The Stars, following on from Maltese Cross's fast-finishing score in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp on Tuesday. She was also the third Irish Oaks winner for her sire, following the ill-fated Sea Of Class in 2018 and Star Catcher the next year. 

Sea The Stars: in blistering form Credit: Aga Khan Studs

The Gilltown Stud resident has long since established himself as a top-class producer of middle-distance and staying talent. He stood this season at a career-high fee of €300,000, having produced champions such as Baaeed, Stradivarius and Crystal Ocean among many others. 

The opening Juddmonte Lead Artist Irish EBF Maiden has a fine roll of honour, with subsequent National Stakes winner Henry Longfellow and Irish 2,000 Guineas and Futurity Trophy victor Mac Swiney among its winners in recent years.

This year's contest was won by Moyglare Stud's blue-blooded homebred Porto Vecchio, a Frankel brother to Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Homeless Songs. The juvenile colt, trained like his sister by Dermot Weld, put in a professional display to defeat Victory Speech, Coolmore's homebred Wootton Bassett brother to last year's Airlie Stud Stakes winner and Moyglare Stud Stakes runner-up Beautify, by half a length. 

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