Nap of the Day: Minnie Hauk is hard to oppose at the Curragh

The first two Classics of the season in Britain took place at the weekend and we were also treated to some excellent National Hunt racing, with the Punchestown Festival also taking place. 

Read on for our NAP of the Day for 4 May 2026.

16:10 Curragh Odds

There’s more quality action to come on Bank Holiday Monday, notably at the Curragh in Ireland.

The Curragh’s seven-race card features the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes. There’s also Listed action on offer, as well as some Classic clues in the Group 3 Athasi Stakes.

Aidan O’Brien’s filly should prove very hard to beat, as the four-year-old’s form is levels above her rivals.

Some excellent horses have won the Mooresbridge Stakes over the years, including the likes of Minding, Camelot and Septimus. Those three horses have something in common, as they were all trained by Aidan O’Brien, who has won it a whopping 14 times.

He has used it as a prep race for some of his best middle-distance Royal Ascot horses and the plan seems to be similar this year.

MINNIE HAUK was one of the stable’s leading lights last term and she has the potential to be one of the best four-year-olds around this year.

O’Brien has won six of the last 10 renewals and it’s very difficult to make a compelling case for any of Minnie Hauk’s rivals. She got off the mark at the second time of asking as a two-year-old, winning a Leopardstown maiden over a mile by half-a-length.

The daughter of Frankel took her form to a new level as a three-year-old, however, and she started off by winning the Cheshire Oaks last May.

Getting the better of stablemate Whirl in the Oaks at Epsom, that form is rock-solid and she showed a good attitude then.

She stayed in Ireland for her next start and went to the Curragh for the Irish Oaks when staying on well to score by a length-and-a-quarter.

Improving again at York after that, she completed the Group 1 Oaks treble in the Yorkshire Oaks and was far too good for Estrange.

It’s no surprise Minnie Hauk was backed into favouritism for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp after that and she ran an absolute screamer to finish second by a head.

The race fell apart a bit and she ended up in front sooner than ideal and may well have won.

That was a career-best performance and it’s easy to forgive Minnie Hauk a below-par display in the Breeders’ Cup.

Freshened up after a winter break, she should be stronger as a four-year-old and all the top 1m4f races will be open to her this year.

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