You Got To Me justified significant market support to surge to Juddmonte Gr1 Irish Oaks success at the Curragh on Saturday.
The winner of Lingfield’s Oaks Trial earlier in the season, Ralph Beckett’s daughter of Nathaniel had been backed into 15-2 from double-figure overnight odds and had previously finished fourth to Ezeliya at Epsom before filling the same spot in the Ribblesdale Stakes when racing keenly on the front end.
Ralph Beckett saddled the winner
With a tongue-tie applied and ridden with more restraint, You Got To Me travelled comfortably in mid-division in the hands of regular pilot Hector Crouch, who was enjoying the biggest success of his career.
Moving smoothly into contention, You Got To Me showed both her stamina and class when asked to win her race by Crouch, hitting the front with a furlong to run and showing plenty of resolve as the Aidan O’Brien-trained 3-1 favourite Content came chasing in the closing stages.
You Got To Me held a three-quarter length advantage at the line though, with Content in second and Paddy Twomey’s Purple Lily third.
Beckett admitted the race had not gone entirely as planned, but praised Crouch for swiftly adapting his tactics.
He said: “She was training well in the spring when perhaps we weren’t clicking, and she did it the hard way at Lingfield.
“It didn’t really work out in the Oaks and she went a bit hard in the Ribblesdale, downhill start there over 12 furlongs at Ascot – it can happen there.
“A tongue strap on today probably helped, it just gave her something else to think about.
“Hector said he had to barge through everywhere to get a position and to keep his position. She’s a very brave filly.
“The plan was to be forward and kick on from the top of the hill, but you always have to have a plan B. Hector is not a man that panics and he knew what was going to happen after five strides and rode a race to fit her.”
Crouch was securing the biggest victory of his career and said: “It’s hard to put what that means into words.
“It’s a very, very special day and I’m extremely thankful to Ralph and to Valmont and to Newsells Park Stud for keeping the faith in me and this filly.
“I’m a bit emotional to be honest, it means an awful lot. I’ve always had a tremendous amount of faith in her and when she’s good, she’s very good.
“I can’t believe it, it’s unbelievable.
“I was a touch slow away and I had to take it as it came. She was very tough and very brave when I needed her.”
