Love conquers all for O’Brien in

CLASSIC: Galileo filly hands trainer sixth victory in Newmarket showpiece

Love breezed away from the opposition to give Aidan O’Brien a sixth victory in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

The Ballydoyle handler fielded just one runner in yesterday’s Classic and Love emphatically turned around last year’s Fillies’ Mile form with Quadrilateral to claim a cosy success under Ryan Moore.

Cloak Of Spirits set the early pace with 11-4 favourite Quadrilateral racing very keenly on her heels, while Moore settled Love (4-1) on the outside of the pack.

She travelled extremely well throughout the mile contest and when Moore gave the signal, Love picked up in fine style and shot clear in the final furlong to win by four and a quarter lengths. Cloak Of Spirits kept on for second, with Quadrilateral a head back in third.

O’Brien said: “We’re delighted with her. She was doing everything right all through the winter and the spring.

“She’s a lovely filly. We always thought she would get much further than a mile. She showed she got a mile last year and we always thought we’d start here and then maybe go on to the Oaks and I think that’s what the lads were thinking about doing.”

The race was being run a month later than originally planned due to the coronavirus shutdown and O’Brien admitted the situation presented some challenges.

He said: “It was a little bit tricky as it was a bit stop and start, usually it’s a little bit dangerous when you do that. You have a target, you think you have a target and you have to train for it and then it moves – it just makes it a little bit complicated.

“Everyone has been great, everyone has been very focused and everybody has put a lot of work into her.

“Obviously she’s a beautifully-bred filly by

Galileo and I’m delighted for the lads. She’s a special filly.”

Love is now as low as 6-4 with Coral for the Investec Oaks at Epsom on July 4.

Kameko proved too good for red-hot favourite Pinatubo on Saturday as he lifted the Qipco 2000 Guineas crown in a new course-record time.

Pinatubo arrived unbeaten in six juvenile starts and boasting the highest two-year-old rating for 25 years, but he was only third as Kameko triumphed for Andrew Balding and champion jockey Oisin Murphy.

Kenzai Warrior nearly unshipped Jason Watson leaving the stalls, but all the main contenders soon settled as outsiders Persuasion and Juan Elcano set the pace.

Kameko and Pinatubo were both perfectly poised to challenge and with a furlong to run it was between that pair and Aidan O’Brien’s Wichita for the first Classic of the season.

However, while 10-1 shot Kameko found plenty in the final half-furlong, the 5-6 favourite Pinatubo had no more to give and it was left to Wichita to chase home the winner, beaten a neck.