Irish 1000 Guineas

It seems hard to believe now that the form of the Ballydoyle stable was being questioned prior to the 2,000 Guineas, before Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) acted as the pivot to a major upturn and sequence of wins in key races in early May. That he slammed Godolphin's genuine Group 1 performer Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) and the rest by upwards of eight lengths in that Newmarket Classic and still managed to be convincingly beaten is the remarkable story of this year's renewal and he gets the chance to excel in...

Aidan O'Brien's pair of Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) and True Love (No Nay Never) headline the confirmations for the first Irish Classics of the season at the Curragh this weekend. Gstaad filled the runner-up spot behind Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month and, with George Boughey keeping his charge fresh for Royal Ascot, the Starspangledbanner colt is the odds-on favourite to gain compensation in Saturday's Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas. A maximum field of 13 will go to post, with Karl Burke's G3 Greenham Stakes...

It was announced on Monday that Tattersalls will continue as the title sponsors of the prestigious Irish Guineas Festival at the Curragh from 2026 until 2028. The partnership ensures that the Irish 2,000 Guineas, Irish 1,000 Guineas and Tattersalls Gold Cup will offer total prize-money of at least €500,000 each. "Tattersalls have been longstanding supporters of Irish racing and the Curragh Racecourse, having sponsored the Tattersalls Gold Cup since 1985 and the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Irish 1,000 Guineas since 2013 and 2015 respectively," said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony. "The...

Who are the people behind the Mutual Admiration Society? The group of owners have enjoyed a whirlwind success with the unbeaten A Lilac Rolla (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}) and are gunning for Irish 1,000 Guineas glory. Trained by Paddy Twomey, A Lilac Rolla has gone from strength to strength and is by no means a back number in Sunday's Classic at general odds of 10-1. She has already accounted for the market leader Opera Singer (Justify) in a conditions race at the Curragh last year and American owner Amy King...

Al Shira'aa boss Kieran Lalor has admitted that it will be hard to top last season's achievements in winning the G1 Prix Saint-Alary with Jannah Rose (Ire) but nominated the Willie McCreery-trained Group 2 scorer Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) as being the operation's best chance of delivering big-race riches in 2024.  Meanwhile, the decision has been made to retire the powerful owner-breeder's flagship performer Jannah Rose, with a visit to superstar stallion Dubawi (Ire) pencilled in for the four-year-old this spring. Lalor explained how retiring the Group 1-winning...

Nine new race days have been added to the World Pool calendar in the first six months of 2024, including the Newmarket fixture on Sunday, May 5 which features the G1 QIPCO 1,000 Guineas. One other race on the card will be included during a bumper weekend of action on the Rowley Mile, following on from the entire G1 QIPCO 2,000 Guineas card on Saturday, May 4 which has been a World Pool event since 2022. The other additions to the schedule include the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas and...

The Irish 1000 Guineas will come too soon for Limiti Di Greccio (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), according to trainer Paddy Twomey, who is concentrating on the second half of the season with the exciting filly after she picked up "a minor training setback".  Limiti Di Greccio, winner of the Listed Staffordstown Stud S. last season, had been as short as 15-2 to provide Twomey with a breakthrough Classic success at the Curragh on Sunday. Twomey explained, "She picked up a minor training setback and is not ready to run at the...

Leading Irish 1,000 Guineas fancy Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will not run at the Curragh on Sunday and will instead chart a path towards the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot on June 17. The decision was made after the filly was ridden in a key workout by Frankie Dettori over the weekend and the news was revealed by Cheveley Park's Chris Richardson on Monday. Richardson said that it was the recommendation of joint-trainer John Gosden to go straight to Royal Ascot and bypass the Curragh this weekend. He explained,...

The only man in history to win the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season, Henry de Bromhead is not content on tightening his grip on the major jumps races and is now taking aim at the Irish 1,000 Guineas with Star Girls Aalmal (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}).  De Bromhead signed off on another memorable National Hunt season at Punchestown last month by sending out Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) to win her 12th Grade 1 and extend her unbeaten record to 16. As the Flat...

Now that the abnormally dry Spring has given way to an ongoing wet spell, Sunday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh looks poised for John Oxley's Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) to re-impose herself on a division she had largely mastered by the end of 2020. Labelled a 'TDN Rising Star' on her impressive debut at Bellewstown in July, she remained unbeaten on ground softer than good thereafter, adding this track's G2 Debutante S. and Newmarket's G1 Fillies' Mile to her tally. Second to Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})...

Saturday's Curragh card which features the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas is in doubt after 35 millimetres of rain hit the track overnight Thursday. With a morning inspection called, chief executive Pat Keogh is hoping for a turnaround with the course currently waterlogged in places. "We got a lot more rain than we anticipated overnight. We were forecast 15 millimetres at the most in the last 24 hours," he explained on Friday. "It's come completely out of left field, unfortunately. The track would not be raceable today. We'll just have...

Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), second in both the G1 1000 Guineas and the G3 Nelly Gwyn S. this season, will head next to the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas on May 23, according to trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam. "She has been left in the Oaks in case anything happened in Ireland or Government rules changed, because living in Covid times things like that can happen," Chapple-Hyam said. "The owners are all on the same page and are keen to send her to Ireland, where Adam [Kirby] will ride her. Her...