The Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) provided Joseph O'Brien with his first group 1 victory as a trainer with Intricately five years ago, and it appears his best chance of adding to that top-level haul this weekend.
It took her five starts to get off the mark but Agartha has more than earned her place as a market leader for the seven-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies in her last two outings.
Any doubts around her front-running breakthrough in the Silver Flash Stakes (G3) at 16-1 were quashed emphatically after blitzing the field in last month's Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes (G2).
It was a clear step up on her first start since being snapped up by owner Scott Heider, and she seems extremely versatile in terms of ground, landing group contests on both good and soft going.
"She's a tough and hardy filly who wears her heart on her sleeve," O'Brien said. "There are some new challengers here who she didn't encounter last time, including Homeless Songs. We were second to her in a maiden but I'd like to think that our filly has come forward from then, and hopefully she'll be able to put it up to them."
Sunday's race is a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Keeneland Nov. 4.
The daughter of Caravaggio has beaten four of her seven rivals in the last couple of months, but her biggest challenger could be Homeless Songs, who had her measure in a Leopardstown maiden in July.
It must be acknowledged that Agartha has clearly come a long way from that encounter three starts ago, and the experience gained in pattern company gives her an edge over the Dermot Weld-trained contender.
However, it's hard to get away from the fine impression that Homeless Songs created on that occasion, and given it was her debut—in comparison to Agartha making her fourth outing—it's certainly plausible that the Frankel filly is the more exciting long-term prospect.
Homeless Songs would be an apt winner of this race given she's owned and bred by the race sponsors, hailing from a strong Moyglare family.
It's been nine weeks since her successful debut and Dermot Weld—bidding to win the race for the first time since Flutter Away in 1987—believes his representative faces a demanding task.
"The form of her Leopardstown maiden win has obviously worked out very well with Agartha winning twice since," he said.
"She has obviously improved a lot, and we'll have our work cut out to finish ahead of her again. Homeless Songs is a nice filly, though, and she goes there with a chance."
Ger Lyons supplemented bright prospect Cairde Go Deo at a cost of €30,000 earlier in the week and needs to finish at least third to earn that back in prize money.
She oozed class when beating History here five weeks ago and makes more appeal than the Ballydoyle pair of Concert Hall and Prettiest, both needing to bounce back from below-par efforts.
The beautifully bred Discoveries has 2 1/2 lengths to find with Sunset Shiraz on their Debutante Stakes form, but quicker ground should bring them closer together.
