It was a dream day at the Curragh for jockey James Doyle on Saturday as the English man landed the three biggest races of the afternoon, including the prestigious Darley Irish Oaks.
Doyle, a native of Cambridge, enjoyed the incredible success all in the space of 90 minutes as he recorded three wins on the bounce, starting off by taking the Jebel Ali Racecourse Anglesey Stakes for trainer Mark Johnston as he led Marie's Diamond to victory in the Group 3 race over second placed Viadera.
He was back in the parade ring shortly afterwards as he captured the Group 2 Friarstown Stud Minstrel Stakes on board Larchmont Lad for trainer David O'Meara, narrowly beating So Beloved in a tight finish.
The big victory of the day came in the €400,000 Darley Irish Oaks as Doyle steered the hotly fancied 11/4 shot Sea of Class to victory in the Group 1 race for English trainer William Haggas. He beat Forever Together by a neck, while Mary Tudor finished more than a length further back in third.
"I did ask him to be brave, but I didn't think he'd be that brave. He took it up fairly close home, but he said she was on her game today," said trainer William Haggas afterwards.
"It's a big race for us, we don't come here very often. This is a very good filly and we know she's a good filly, so you want it all to go right and it's come right.
"We were never that keen on going to Epsom, but it's an Oaks and Oaks are big things. I was just coming around to running and fortunately it rained, so someone up there was telling me not to run.
"To go and have a relatively easy race and have a bit more experience was great and she's trained beautifully since.
"James is in a rich vein of form at the moment, not only today, but he's been riding very well all year.
"I asked him to be brave, because she's got a good turn of foot. I said 'if you are going to the front three out, we are in trouble'."
The only local winner on the card was Curragh-based trainer Dermot Weld, who had to wait until the last race of the day for a big cheer as Falcon Eight took the Hanlon Concrete Maiden under jockey Declan McDonogh.
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