26th-May-2024

Rogue Millennium is one of the most interesting horses running at The Curragh today, a high-profile recruit to the Joseph O’Brien yard after a high-price sale at the December Sale.  She is a worthy favourite here, and she could win well, but I think that her profile has influenced her odds, and that she is shorter than she should be.

I think that Ocean Jewel is over-priced against her.  Willie McCreery’s filly was impressive in winning the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes at Leopardstown last July over seven furlongs, and that form has worked out well since through Real Appeal, Carrytheone and Mutasarref.  

The drop back to six furlongs next time for the Ballyogan Stakes didn’t work, and she ran much better than the bare form of the race suggests in the Matron Stakes on her final run last season over a mile.  She has seven lengths to find with Rogue Millennium on that run, but she was checked in her run at a crucial stage of the race.  She should have finished much closer to her than she did.

Willie McCreery has won this race twice in the last eight years, he has surely had it in mind for Ocean Jewel for a while, it is the ideal race for her, and she is a filly from whom there could be a fair bit more to come.  She could be a Group 1 filly.

OCEAN JEWEL WON (ADV 9/1, SP 8/1)