Love gives O’Brien his sixth 1000 Guineas

All Aidan O’Brien needed to win his fourth Group 1 1000 Guineas in the last five years was one thing –Galileo’s (Ire) Love (Ire) - on Sunday at Newmarket. The only entry for her trainer in the 1000 Guineas and only for her sire in the weekend’s two classics, Love proved to be their perfect weapon with a 4.25l romp in the 1600 metre race.

The filly’s flashy face made her an easy horse to watch as she raced in midpack down the centre of the track, closest to the nearside rail of any horse in the field. Cloak Of Spirits (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was the pacesetter with the next group of fillies running five abreast about a length behind her.

In the final 400 metres Final Song (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was the first to challenge the pace setter with Europe’s Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Quadrilateral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) also joining in. Keeping her spot in the centre of the track, Love also entered the fray under Ryan Moore and quickly put an end to the battle as she took the lead.

The filly pulled clear with 200 metres to leave the field behind her to battle it out for second. Cloak Of Spirits was able to hold on to second by a head from Quadrilateral with Final Song another length back in fourth.

The winner of last year’s Group 1 Moyglare Stud S., the Cooolmore bred and owned Love also led home a notable finish for Pivotal (GB), whose daughters produced the top two finishers. Galileo could also boast of his own prowness as a sire-of-sires after the result with third placed Quadrilateral by his son Frankel (GB).

Trainer Aidan O’Brien had to celebrate his sixth career 1000 Guineas victory at Ballydoyle in Ireland but having to miss Love winning Sunday, a day after he finished second in the 2000 Guineas with Wichita (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}), didn’t keep him from planning the filly’s next move.

“She’s a special filly and we always thought she would get much further than a mile,” he told Thoroughbred Daily News. “She showed she got a mile last year and we always thought we’d start here and then maybe go on to the [July 4] Oaks. Ryan gave her a beautiful ride, very uncomplicated, he got her in a lovely rhythm and I couldn’t have been happier really. He had her well-balanced into the dip, she’s very genuine and she had her head out and ran to the line.”

Love is the latest success story for the Galileo x Pivotal cross with the cross’s six Group 1 winners also including last year’s dual-1000 Guineas winner Hermosa (Ire).

Proving to be another bargain after the $1500 paid for the dam of yesterday’s 2000 Guineas winner Kameko (USA) (Kitten’s Joy {USA}), Love’s dam Pikaboo (GB) was purchased for just 50,000 gns the last time she went through the ring in 2012.

Now the dam of six winners from six to race, Pikaboo has produced four Group winners, including Love’s full sisters Flattering and Peach Tree. The mare’s second-best foal is the Group 2 winning Lucky Kristale (GB) (Lucky Story {USA}), who was born the year before her dam sold.

Street Sense’s McKinzie wins seventh Graded S.

Adding to his already lofty resume, McKinzie brushed off an uncharacteristically bad race last out when giving trainer Bob Baffert his sixth Grade 2 Triple Bend S. victory on Sunday at Santa Anita.

Racing in a small field in the 1400 metre race, McKinzie broke well and found a spot in the pack just behind the leaders.

The small field was tightly packed from the start with McKinzie running three wide and at times running last just a few lengths off the leaders. Confidently handled by regular jockey Mike Smith, McKinzie rolled up to the leaders in mid-turn before Smith let his mount fly in the stretch. McKinzie did the work from there, securing the lead from Fashionably Fast to win by 1.5l under a hand ride for his seventh career graded stakes victory.

Making his graded stakes debut, Fashionably Fast (USA) (Lucky Pulpit {USA}) put on a good showing to battle with McKinzie for the lead and hold off Dark Vader (USA) (Tale Of Ekati {USA}) in the closing stages to finish second – ending the California-bred gelding’s six race win streak.

Running exclusively in stakes company since making his winning debut in October 2017, McKinzie secured his first Grade 1 victory in his second start when winning the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity. One of the early favourites for the Kentucky Derby, McKinzie was forced to skip the race but has proved to be one of the best horses in Bob Baffert’s barn over the last four seasons with 13 top two finishes in stakes company since 2017 with four Grade 1 victories in his career.

A $170,000 Keeneland September buy by Karl Watson, Michael Pegram, and Paul Weitman, McKinzie is one of six winners out of Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 runner-up Runway Model (USA) (Petionville {USA}). Though the most accomplished of his family, McKinzie is joined by 20 other stakes horses under his first three dams.

Liberty Beach wins again for Cable Bay

Cable Bay’s (Ire) Group 3 winner Liberty Beach (GB) added a third stakes win to her resume on Saturday with a victory in the Listed Betway EBF Cecil Frail Fillies’ S.

Racing keenly early in the 1200 metre race, jockey Jason Hart tried to settle Liberty Beach just behind the leader in the early stages. Liberty Beach finally quit fighting her jockey with 500 metres left to run and soon got down to the business of challenging Maid In India (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}) for the lead.

The duel continued until they were in the final 100 metres with Liberty Beach taking over with 50 metres to go as a pack of four other fillies joined Maid In India behind the leader. The wire came just in time for Liberty Beach with the filly winning by 0.75l over Queen Jo Jo (GB) (Gregorian {Ire}) with Maid In India surviving the swarm to finish third.

Liberty Beach is out of a half-sister to Group 3 winner La Rioja and from the family of Group 2 winner Eastern Aria (UAE) (Halling {USA}) and four-time stakes winner Shivalik Star (Ind) (Shamardal {USA}).

Manuela De Vega leads top day for Lope De Vega

Only half hour after Summer House (GB) led home a 1-2 finish for Lope De Vega (Ire) in a competitive 2400 metre maiden at Lingfield, Manuela De Vega (Ire) went one better with a Group 3 victory in the Betway Pinnacle S. at Haydock.

Second in the Group 1 Grossier Preis von Bayern to end her 3-year-old season, Manuela De Vega wasn’t going to let victory escape her in the 2300 metre race on Sunday. The filly went straight to the lead and galloped with her ears pricked nearly a dozen lengths ahead of the rest of the field only a few hundred metres out of the gate. The field settled into a single file line behind the filly as she assured they’d have to work hard to catch her.

Race favourite Fanny Logan (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) put in a late challenge but it was no good with Manuela De Vega pulling away under urging from Rob Hornby to win by 2l. Fanny Logan was the only one to get near the Ralph Beckett trainee with Vivionn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) finishing in third 6l behind the winner.

Manuela De Vega is one of three stakes winners by Lope De Vega for her dam Roscoff (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}) with Italian champion Hero Look (Ire) and Listed winning Isabel de Urbina (Ire) both produced by the pairing.

Haunui Farm’s Belardo registers first winner

New Zealand shuttle stallion Belardo (Ire) made Lope De Vega’s day even better on Sunday when siring his first winner at Haydock – the first Lope de Vega son to have runners.

Making her debut over 1200 metres, the flashy Golden Melody (Ire) tracked the leaders through the first 800 metres. Jockey James Doyle made the choice to move her to clear ground at that point and Golden Melody joined the dueling leaders before drawing away in the final 100 metres to win by 2.25l.

It was a freshman sires’ top three with Star Of Emaraaty (Ire), Pride Of Dubai’s first Northern Hemisphere runner, finishing second and Kodi Bear’s (Ire) Scarlet Bear (Ire) third.

A 52,000 gns yearling, Golden Melody is out of a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Belmez (USA) (El Gran Senor {USA}) and the dam of Grade 1 winner Debussy (Ire) (Diesis {GB}). Standing at Haunui Farm in New Zealand, Belardo’s first Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds hit the track later this year with the stallion breeding 314 mares in his first three seasons at Haunui.

First winner for Bobby’s Kitten

A day after his sire won the 2000 Guineas with Kameko (USA) (Kitten’s Joy {USA}), Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint victor Bobby’s Kitten (USA) got off the mark with Sands Of Time (GB) winning impressively at Lingfield.

The Mark Johnston-trained filly went straight to the lead in the 1000 metre race and maneuvered toward the rail under Connor Beasley. Joined for the lead 100 metres in, Sands Of Time didn’t waste much time kicking away from the field as they cornered into the straight.

Passing the 400 metre mark, she started drawing away and just extended her lead from there to win by an easy five lengths over Kodiac’s (GB) Spark Fury (GB) with Charm Spirit’s (Ire) You’ve Charmed Me (Ire) in third.

One of four winners out of her Group 3 winning dam Starlit Sands (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), Sands of Time’s family includes Group 3 winner and Group 1 placed Songerie (GB) (Hernando {Fr}) and her Listed winning and Group 1 placed sister Souvenance (GB) with Group 1 winner Petoski (GB) (Niniski {USA}) under her third dam.

Bobby’s Kitten stood at Twin Hills Stud in 2017 with his first Australian foals scheduled to hit the track next season.