Peaceful took a big step forward and rise in grade, giving trainer Aidan O’Brien a ninth winner in the Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh.
It was a red letter day for owner Michael Tabor, one of the Coolmore set. He had a 1-2-3 with Donnacha O’Brien getting in on the act with his first placed horse, Fancy Blue, in a Classic as a trainer.
So Wonderful was back in third as Tabor took a clean sweep of major prize money. Peaceful, returned at 3/1, ran out a comfortable two-length winner with just a head separating the others in the frame.
Favourite Albigna followed fellow Jessica Harrington Guineas filly Millisle in disappointing. She came a well below par sixth for the Niarchos Family who teamed up with the trainer to win this in 2018 with Alpha Centauri.
Tabor and O’Brien senior had a particularly good day with four winners all ridden by Seamie Heffernan. A Classic success for Peaceful sees her odds for the Epsom Oaks cut by bookmakers into 6/1.
Only stable companion Love, winner of the English 2000 Guineas, is a shorter price in the ante post Oaks market.
Analysis: Peaceful a typical Coolmore Classic heroine
Jamie Clark, Horsebetting.com Editor
While this crop of Ballydoyle three-year-old colts haven’t delivered, you cannot say the same of the fillies. Both Love and Peaceful won their Classics with plenty in hand.
Albigna was bitterly disappointing, much like Millisle in the English equivalent. She was well-backed at 6/5 in the Irish 1000 Guineas but ran totally flat.
That didn’t matter to Tabor, O’Brien and Heffernan, though. Peaceful is by Galileo, so expect her to get further and it’s only right on that basis she is an Oaks contender.
So many sired by this indelible influence on the thoroughbred racehorse win Classics. Peaceful could follow in the hoofprints of her half-brothers and sisters were more major success on this evidence.
This was a seventh Irish 1000 Guineas win for Tabor. He is still two behind Coolmore partners Sue and John Magnier, but Classic victories are commonplace for these powerful connections.
For the prolific Galileo, this was a record 85th Group 1 victory as a stallion. It is more than likely he could reach 100.
