HERMOSA SCORES CLASSIC DOUBLE

Hermosa recorded a Classic double with consummate ease at the Curragh, making every post a winning one in striding to victory in the Gr.1 Irish 1000 Guineas. The daughter of Galileo had scored by a length in the Newmarket version 21 days earlier, but the margin of victory was four lengths in this race, as she surged clear of Pretty Pollyanna (Oasis Dream).

A good, level break saw the ten fillies off to a good start and Ryan Moore soon had Hermosa at the head of affairs, with Foxtrot Liv (Foxwedge) and Pretty Pollyanna close up, while Hermosa’s stablemates Just Wonderful (Dansili) and Fairyland (Kodiac) also kept tabs on the front runners. Into the home straight, Moore wound up the tempo and Hermosa quickly put the race beyond doubt, lengthening up and quickening away to give Aidan O’Brien his eighth victory in the Classic. Pretty Pollyanna turned in a fine performance on her seasonal debut to be second, with Foxtrot Liv a length and a half away in third.

Hermosa was the winner of the Gr.3 Weld Park Stakes and Gr.1- placed in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, the Fillies’ Mile and the Criterium International at two. She is a full-sister to the dual Gr.1 winner Hydrangea and to the Australian Gr.1 winner and sire The United States, as well as being a half-sister to the triple Gr.3 winner Fire Lily (Dansili).

Aidan O’Brien said: “The plan was changed to come here rather than go to the Oaks, and then go from here to the Prix de Diane in three weeks time. I’m so delighted that we did [change plans]. “She’s a lovely mare and we felt that she progressed from Newmarket. I think she showed that today. She could go further and her sister [Hydrangea] got a mile and a half. We’ll see how she gets on in France before thinking about that.”