LOVE CONQUERS ALL
It’s the joy of six for Aidan with Moore Guineas glory
LOVE conquered the Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket yesterday and is now 7- 4 favourite for the Investec Oaks after pulling a whopping four and a quarter lengths clear of runner-up Cloak of Spirits.
Back in third, unable to live with 4-1 shot Love in the final furlong, was 11- 4 favourite Quadrilateral.
The bad news for those thinking of lining up against the daughter of Galileo at Epsom is that trainer Aidan O’Brien thinks Love will take the step up to a mile and a half in her stride.
O’Brien, who is looking to run his 2,000 Guineas runner- up Wichita in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, said: ‘We always thought Love would get much further than a mile and that we would start in the 1,000 Guineas and go on to the Oaks.
‘Ryan (Moore) gave her a lovely ride and got her in a rhythm. She is very genuine and really ran to the line. It’s been a little bit tricky (in the build-up) but everyone has been very focused.’
With travel quarantine restrictions in place for people who enter Ireland from Britain,
O’Brien sent a team of grooms here to look after his horses at the Qipco Guineas Festival and they will stay for his Royal Ascot squad.
O’Brien was watching on television from his Ballydoyle base in County Tipperary and it must have made for pleasant Sunday afternoon viewing as Moore delivered the trainer a fourth 1,000 Guineas win in the last five years and sixth in all. O’Brien is often mob-handed in Classics but significantly he relied only on Love, winner of the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes last year, who was having the eighth race of her life.
Love finished third to Quadrilateral in last season’s Group One Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket but Moore, who was riding his fourth 1,000 Guineas winner, always believed he could turn around the form. He said: ‘I thought she would win the Fillies’ Mile but the ground was too slow and blunted her.’
It was a big run from Richard Hannon-trained, 12-1 runner-up Cloak of Spirits, who tried to make all from her rail-side draw until headed a furlong out.
She could go for Royal Ascot’s Coronation Stakes.
Roger Charlton-trained Quadrilateral over-raced early on, just off the pace, but stayed on resolutely under Jason Watson to reinforce the pre-race suspicion that the daughter of Frankel will be better at longer distances.
Mark Johnston-trained Raffle Prize fluffed the start, but was still a disappointment, being beaten over 32 lengths.
Millisle never looked like she would give champion jockey Oisin Murphy a second Classic win of the weekend after his 2,000 Guineas success on Kameko, with a never-dangerous seventh.
Yet Murphy was still among the winners with a treble courtesy of Bell Rock, Dashing Willoughby and Run Wild. The latter won the Pretty Polly Stakes but will not head to the Oaks, according to trainer John Gosden.