Lake Victoria brought a special version to land the Irish 1,000 Guineas in the Curragh that Aidan O’Brien’s 11th winner of the Group One match was.
The 10-11 favorite in the hands of Ryan Moore, O’Brien’s Merrievefeulen was unbeaten on two when taking a group of one events about distances ranging from six furlongs to a mile, including the Breeders’ Cup.
She returned to a mile in the 1000 Guineas in Newmarket, but connections were not much wrong when they said her preparation was hurried and she was eventually sixth of 10 runners on the Rowley Mile.
That run clearly brought her perfectly for the Irish equivalent, and after happily racing on the rail, she accelerated neatly when he was asked on the two Furlong pole and was a comfortable winner of two and a quarter of Adrian Murray’s 50-1 Shot California Dreamer.
“All the people around her have done incredible work with her. She was only ready to go to Newmarket. We would come here the first time, but the way it worked, she went there,” said O’Brien.
“We thought she had an incredible race (on Newmarket) in the circumstances. Ryan took care of her and was in the clouds with her.
“Everything went well (from there), things are not always going well, but everything went great because Newmarket and her work were not of this world.
“We have never had a marefeulen who could win a group more than six, seven and one mile earlier as a two -year -old.
“She went to Newmarket who prepared for a racecourse galop and was only defeated in the Guineas. She has all the speed in the world, she travels and does everything.
“Ryan gave her an incredible ride. He had her in a perfect position and when he had to make an opening, he could make an opening. When he asked her to speed up the last furlong that she really did for him.”
It is likely that the coronation tires at Royal Ascot are now waiting for Lake Victoria.
O’Brien said: “The plan was to come here and go to the coronation, that has always been the plan for her. Of course the boys will decide that, but I would imagine that if everything is right and everyone is happy, she will go there.
“Ryan had a big smile – I didn’t see him smiling like that. He had her in the perfect position, but he still had to make a hole. We couldn’t be happier with her. The floor was beautiful and everything worked nicely for her.”
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