Guineas double for O’brien

● Hermosa follows up Magna Grecia’s Newmarket victory

A i d a n O ’ B r i e n c o m p l e t e d another Guineas double as H e r m o s a m a d e j u s t a b o u t ever y yard of the running to win the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Hermosa’s success followed the trainer’s win with Magna G r e c i a i n S a t u r d ay ’s 2 0 0 0 Guineas. It was the fourth time O’brien, pictured, had won both opening Classics of the season, and the second time in three years Wayne Lordan had b een the b eneficiar y in the 1000 Guineas after Winter’s success in 2017. By Galileo, there was little doubt Hermosa (14-1) would be found wanting for stamina – and Lordan was happy to make it a real test. Running into the dip, she lo oked sure to b e swamped because Lady Kaya was still o n t h e b r i d l e a n d A n g e l ’s Hideaway moved up travelling strongly too.

Hermosa just kept on finding something, though – and on meeting the rising ground, she began to pull away again. Lady Kaya ran a blinder to be beate n j u s t a l e n g t h i n s e c o n d , w h i l e t h e 7-2 favourite Qabala stayed on to claim third.

Meanwhile, R are Groove was an impressive winner of o n e o f t h e f e a t u r e r a c e s o n the opening day of Hamilton Park’s new season yesterday.

Trained by Jedd O’keeffe, he was sent off a well-backed 5-4 favourite before storming home under P J Mcdonald in the Hampton By Hilton Opening This Summer Buttonhook Handicap.

The most valuable race of the card, the £30,000 Hamilton Park R acecourse New Hotel Tangerine Trees Conditions Stakes, went to Semoum taking Roger Varian’s strike rate at the Lanarkshire track to 33 per cent. It was also the first success at the course for jockey Jack Mitchell. There was a shock in the maiden when 1-12 hot pot Al Hadeer was turned over by 7-2 chance Southern Rock while Portuguese jockey Victor Santos rode his first Hamilton Park winner on first race scorer Spirit Of Wedza.

And Iain Jardine flew the flag for Scotland with a 44-1 double courtesy of Sioux Frontier and Mearing.