CHELSEA ROSE LOOKS HARD TO BEAT IN IRISH OAKS

Wow did CHELSEA ROSE (42) run fast when winning on her seasonal debut! This filly is already a Group 1 winner and now looks to have an excellent chance of scoring again at the top level in the Irish Oaks. She has only lost once so far and her connections have been talking about nothing but the Irish Oaks ever since her win in last year's Moyglare Stud Stakes.

I have to confess that previously I'd thought Chelsea Rose was a sub-par winner of the Moyglare. But here she would have beaten a field of smart and consistent older males by a big margin had the three year old colt MERGER (42) not jumped up and also run a huge race.

I can't find any reason to doubt my interpretation of the time Chelsea Rose ran. She not only hammered smart older pattern horses but also ran a whole lot faster than the next fastest race on the card. Clear lines of form from that race point to exactly the same speed rating as those from the older horses she beat in her own race.

Merger's trainer Dermot Weld has said all along that his charge would improve when he finally encountered faster ground. And he was proved right here.

As I write this the going looks set to ride like a road at Royal Ascot at York. So I have to say that Merger looks like the Irish banker at the big meeting. According to my ratings he and Chelsea Rose put up Group 1 times here. If I'm right then Merger must have a huge chance in the Hampton Court stakes seeing that it's only a Listed contest. Equally Chelsea Rose looks the horse they all have to beat in the Irish Oaks.

SPIRIT OF AGE AND LA COMMARA UNDER-RATED

SPIRIT OF AGE (36) and LA COMMARA (36) pulled well clear of the rest when fighting out the finish of a fast fillies' handicap at Tralee. Both look to be significantly under-rated on official ratings, especially La Commara.

Spirit of Age started last season by getting beat a length by two subsequently Group-placed runners in maidens then bolting up at the Galway Festival. This run marks a return to that sort of form.

La Commara has run some good races in soft and heavy ground before, but looked to be improved by the step back up to a mile here. I'd be wary of opposing her next time out, even if the ground is much faster. There's no strong evidence that she needs it soft.

LOOK BETWEEN US CAN KEEP ON WINNING

LOOK BETWEEN US (36) won in pretty fast time at Cork when beating decent rivals. He seems best on fast ground at the minimum distance. In fact he has now won the last four times he's encountered going faster than yielding at 2m 1f or less over jumps. As the long as the going stays fast he must have decent prospects of winning again at the upcoming Killarney and Galway Festivals.

LORD ADMIRAL NEARLY RUNS A GROUP 1 TIME

One of the biggest surprises I’ve had this season came when LORD ADMIRAL (41) ran a freakishly fast time to take the Listed Glencairn Stakes at Leopardstown.

Previously Lord Admiral had been kept to ten furlongs plus for all his starts since his two year old days. He’d looked like a fairly ordinary horse at the longer trips. But the cut back to a mile produced huge improvement.

My interpretation of the time that Lord Admiral ran suggests that he came within a fifth of a second of putting up a Group 1 class performance. I fervently hope that he is kept to a mile from now on and takes on highly regarded rivals next time. He could go off at huge odds and would be very hard to beat.

Runner-up MUSTAMEET (39) has already won a Group 3 and is capable of taking another Group race on this performance. He too looks worth following.