Moore takes Guineas at the double
HE feared his chance had gone when Aidan O’Brien’s antepost f avourite Found was scratched but Ryan Moore’s strengthened links with the Coolmore Stud paid dividends again when substitute mount of Legatissimo landed the 1,000 Guineas by half a length.
Twenty-four hours after winning the 2,000 Guineas on Coolmore’s Aidan O’Brien-trained Gleneagles, 31-year- old Moore became the first jockey since Kieren Fallon in 2005 to win both opening Classics of the season.
The 13/ 2 David Wachman-trained winner hauled back 9/2 favourite Lucida with a powerful surge in the final furlong to win by half a length.
Having supplied 2,000 Guineas third Ivawood, Richard Hannon again produced the first Britishtrained runner home as Tiggy Wiggy shrugged off her below par Newbury comeback run by holding on for third, a further four-and-a-half lengths back.
Moore said: ‘I was a bit gutted when Found wasn’t running but everything has worked out well and once I put Legatissimo into gear, she was always going to get there. She is a tough, hard filly.
‘Found is an exceptional filly and I was looking forward to riding her but fortunately we have found another one.’
Moore will get a chance to test his assessment of Found when O’Brien runs the filly, whose Classic preparation was knocked off course by illness, in the Group Three Athasi Stakes at The Curragh this afternoon.
Trainer David Wachman, sonin-law of Coolmore supremo John Magnier who was saddling his first British Classic winner, conceded Legatissimo’s prepa- ration was ‘unorthodox’.
Yesterday was her third run in three weeks and her last outing had been over a furlong and a half further than the mile of the Guineas.
Where Legatissimo goes next well hinge on how well Found and the rest of the O’Brien battalions at Ballydoyle fare.
Wachman said: ‘The step back to a mile was never a worry for me — she has plenty of pace. The Oaks is a possible but they have a lot of fillies at Ballydoyle so we will see where they all fit in.’
Part- owner Michael Tabor said: ‘I was joking with Ryan yesterday saying I’d never done the double and I said “perhaps it will happen” but never really thinking it would.’
Lucida will stick to a mile and head for the Irish 1,000 Guineas on May 24. Trainer Jim Bolger said: ‘Her run was good enough to win nine out of 10 Guineas. She was just outstayed.’
Tiggy Wiggy, suited by being allowed to bowl along at her own pace, will now drop back to sprinting.