David O’Meara‘s star mare Estrange is raring to make her reappearance at Carlisle this weekend. Connections declared her for the rescheduled Lester Pigott Fillies’ Stakes on Thursday morning. The contest was set to take place at Haydock, but the track has called off its next two meetings due to unsuitable conditions.
The lightly-raced daughter of Night Of Thunder looked very smart when winning on soft ground at Goodwood on debut in 2024. She bombed out at Yarmouth on a sounder surface next time out, and O’Meara is keen to stay away from quicker conditions.
Speaking to the Racing Post, David O’Meara said: “As is the case normally with Estrange, we’re on weather watch a little bit. She likes a bit of ease in the ground, and it’s been such a dry spell. There are no issues at all with the change of track, we’re happy to take her to Carlisle. It’s just a question of seeing what conditions look like nearer the time.
“She seems to have wintered very well and she’s done plenty of work in the build-up to her return. This is the same prep as we did with her last year and, weather worries aside, we’re very happy with where she is.”
“We’ll be trying to get her a Group 1” – David O’Meara
A Group 1 success is the aim for striking grey Estrange this season. O’Meara himself is seeking his first one in five years. She proved she was up to the grade when a solid second to Minnie Hauk in the Yorkshire Oaks. She backed that up when runner up to Kalpana in the Fillies & Mares on Champions Day.
Estrange’s season was set to culminate in the Arc prior to that, but was withdrawn due to a dirty scope. O’Meara suggests she’ll have a similar campaign, and Group 1 targets await once more. “She had a great year, despite not being able to run in the Arc,” O’Meara said. “She was second to Minnie Hauk and then to Kalpana, so we’re just hopeful that this year she can get that Group 1 win under her belt.
“It’s brilliant she’s back for another season. The Thompson family wanted to put her back in training. She looks like she’s done well from four to five.
“For the most part we’ll be looking at the same sorts of races. We’ll start her season in a very similar way at the very least. We always suspected she was up to Group 1 level last year. But she’s proven that more now and we’ll be trying to get her a Group 1.”