Exciting filly Sea Of Class given Classic mission in the Irish Oaks
William Haggas is keen to step the three-year-old up into Group 1 company at the Curragh
SEA Of Class will be thrown in at the deep end in the Irish Oaks on 21 July.
William Haggas' exciting filly has won her last two starts at Newbury and will have her sights raised significantly in the Curragh Classic.
The daughter of Sea The Stars has impressed with back-to-back Listed wins over a mile and two furlongs.
Newmarket-based Haggas had been weighing up a potential tilt at the Pretty Polly Stakes over that distance at the Curragh last Sunday, a race won by 9-1 shot Urban Fox.
However, she is bred to appreciate the step up to the Irish Oaks trip of a mile and four furlongs and that is the route her connections have opted to take.
Haggas said: "The Irish Oaks is the plan.
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"It came down to the fact it's a fillies' Classic which they (owners Sunderland Holding) want to win.
"She would have gone to the Pretty Polly last Sunday and the Nassau at Goodwood if we were going to go down the mile-and-a-quarter route, but we decided to go for the Irish Oaks.
"It was a decision mutually agreed by the owner and trainer, and it wasn't a difficult one as it happened.
"She can't run in the Irish Oaks next year, but she can run in the Pretty Polly and Nassau next year if she stays in training."
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The Classic-winning trainer, who sent out Dancing Rain to win the Oaks at Epsom in 2011, said that Sea Of Class had come out of her victory in the Abingdon Stakes well.
He continued: "She took the race at Newbury fine and is in good form.
"I didn't think she was as impressive as she was in the previous race there.
"But we had a little blip before that race so I was happy enough with her."