Karl Burke is confident Laurens is at peak condition for its defence of her crown at the Coolmore”Fastnet Rock” Matron Stakes.
The four-year-old was a surprise winner of the Leopardstown Group One final year if she discovered that a shock defeat on Jessica Harrington’s brilliant filly Alpha Centauri.
Twelve months on, Laurens travels to Ireland as a hot favorite, having maintained her sixth top-level success from the Prix Rothschild in Deauville on her penultimate begin before being touched off with colt Shine So Bright at a Group Two.
Burke stated:”She appears in fantastic form. Before she left to catch the ferry to Ireland, she had a little breeze on Thursday morning, and I couldn’t have been happier .
“Last year she went there having run within a mile and a half in the Yorkshire Oaks. We thought she was fast enough and it was proven by her on the afternoon. We know we’re quick enough.
“She’s got a fantastic draw. We do our own thing and focus on ourselves, rather than concern yourself with what anybody else is doing, although it will be interesting to understand Aidan O’Brien’s four horses have been ridden.
“She is in wonderful form, and when she produces her A-game she’s the one that they all have to beat.”
The O’Brien quartet is headed by English and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Hermosa.
Last month however, she lines up with a point to prove after tracking home last of two runners at the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
“Goodwood was a small funny race – Frankie (Dettori) was riding a mile-and-a-half horse (Mehdaayih), plus they moved quick,” said O’Brien.
“It does not mean we won’t go back to some mile and a quarter again at some point, but we will return to a mile in Leopardstown.
“We probably didn’t learn a great deal at Goodwood, together with the pace and the monitor. It was a bit of a non-event really.”
Hermosa is combined by stable companions that I Will Fly, Happen and Just Wonderful.
Another horse coming back in excursion is the Joseph O’Brien-trained Iridessa.
Ruler’s daughter Of The Planet was an impressive winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes over a mile and a quarter in June, but not threatened to throw a blow over a mile and a half the next month.
“She seems in good form. It is a very good race, but we’re hoping for a fantastic run,” said the coach.
The Skitter Scatter of John Oxx completes the seven-strong field.
A offender for Patrick Prendergast last season, the Scat Daddy filly disappointed in the 1000 Guineas however, has been subsequently discovered to be suffering from a muscular injury.
She made her return at Tipperary from a near four-month lack from the Group Three Fairy Bridge Stakes and shaped with reinforcement – going down by half a length to Joseph O’Brien’s Waitingfortheday.
“We were delighted with her going into the Guineas, but she took a bad step during the race and had a tear at a hamstring,” explained Oxx.
“It’s made the whole year difficult for her. She needed to walk seven months and didn’t do her very first trot before Royal Ascot’s Saturday.
“We were planning for the Matron all along. But she needed a prep raceand we had time to get her prepared for the Fairy Bridge.
“We’re happy to get her . She had a good run for the six months prior to that and was fit enough for a racebut she wasn’t obviously at peak fitness.”
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