Racing: Ramruma odds-on for the Irish Oaks

RAMRUMA THE Oaks winner is 4-9 with the Irish bookmakers Cashmans to follow up her Epsom success in the Irish version on Sunday. Polaire is rated the home team's best hope at 7-1, for a race which has been won by an Irish filly in each of the past three years.

A surprise absentee from the field is Godolphin's Fairy Queen, the winner of the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Godolphin's racing manager, Simon Crisford, said: "There's nothing wrong with Fairy Queen. We felt she might need a longer rest after her Ascot exertions. She will probably return later in the summer."

Sunday's race will be the first Irish Classic without a Godolphin runner since the Oaks of 1997. Of the nine such races since, Kayf Tara won the 1998 Irish St Leger and Fa-Eq, La Nuit Rose, City Honours and Bahr each reached a place.

The only additional entry yesterday - at a cost of IRpounds 25,000 - was the Kevin Prendergast-trained Pretty Polly Stakes winner Polaire.

Mother Of Pearl is the other British entry while the French may send over Comillas.

Irish Oaks (The Curragh, Sunday) Cashmans: 4-9 Ramruma, 7-1 Polaire, 12-1 Mother Of Pearl, Sister Bella, Sunspangled, 14-1 Carambola, Comillas, 25-1 Blend Of Pace, 50-1 Rose Of Tara.