Pearls Galore could line up at the Curragh over Irish Oaks weekend before resuming her Group One quest later in the season.
The Paddy Twomey-trained mare is unbeaten in two starts so far this term including in the Group Two Lanwades Stud Stakes at the Curragh last month. Runner-up in both the Matron Stakes and the Prix la Foret in 2021, Pearls Galore has been kept in training to try and secure top-flight glory.
“Pearls Galore will be entered in the Falmouth but I think we may run her in the Minstrel Stakes on Oaks weekend. I’d like to bring her to Deauville then for either the Maurice de Gheest or the Rothschild,” Twomey said.
“Her owner Andreas Putsch lives in Deauville and his farm is in Deauville. I think she would like the French style of racing,” added the Co Tipperary-based trainer.
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Pearls Galore has half a dozen wins from 14 lifetime starts and was transferred to Twomey from Freddy Head in France after her two year old career.
Twomey has other international ambitions for his three year old filly Limiti Di Greccio who has yet to appear this campaign but could have a tilt at September’s Matron Stakes in Leopardstown.
“Limiti Di Greccio is in full work. I’d love to run her in the Matron and a run before that would be great. Marty Schwatrz [owner] loves the Breeders Cup and the Fillies & Mares in Keeneland is 1900 metres so that would be within her compass and something to aim at,” he said.
Another Tipperary-based trainer David Marnane has shorter-term ambitions with Lady Tilbury in Wednesday’s Queen Mary Stakes.
The first of Marnane’s two Royal Ascot winners came a decade ago with Dandy Boy in the Wokingham, while Settle For Bat scored in the 2018 Hunt Cup, but Lady Tilbury will be a first juvenile runner at the meeting.
“We’ve had two Royal Ascot winners in handicaps but it’s fantastic to be going with a two-year-old, she’ll be our first juvenile,” Marnane said. “She’s very fast. She’s a lovely filly and we’re very lucky to have her. She’s quick, she settles, she’ll like that fast ground and runs through the line very well.
“She’s got ticks in the right boxes, all we need now is a bit of luck and we’ll see how good she is. It was a good race she won last time and she clocked a quick time, but she was still green as she was very fresh for a couple of days afterwards, so we certainly didn’t get to the bottom of her there,” he added.
