Aidan O’Brien labelled True Love ‘a monster of a filly’ after seeing her secure an eighth Betfred 1,000 Guineas triumph for his Ballydoyle operation at Newmarket.
Ridden by Wayne Lordan with stable No 1 Ryan Moore aboard favourite Precise, last season’s Cheveley Park Stakes heroine decisively answered any pre-race concerns regarding her stamina at a mile by devouring the rising ground to beat Evolutionist by a length-and-three quarters.
The prominently ridden Venetian Lace continued a good meeting for trainer Charlie Johnston by staying on gamely for third, a place ahead of The Prettiest Star.
In contrast to her successful stablemate, Precise failed to pick up when asked a question at the two-furlong marker and could only finish ninth.
‘She’s a monster of a filly,’ enthused O’Brien who was going one better than 24 hours beforehand when Gstaad was runner-up to Bow Echo in the colt’s Classic.
‘You couldn’t be sure she was going to get a mile, she’s a Queen Mary winner and it’s very unusual for a Queen Mary winner to get a mile.
‘She’s amazing, a big, powerful filly. She’s very relaxed in all her work, so there was always a chance she’d get the mile.’
Jockey Wayne Lordan rides True Love to victory in the Betfred 1000 Guineas Stakes
Trainer Aidan O’Brien (centre) is pictured ahead of Sunday’s Guineas Festival at Newmarket
Of Precise O’Brien added: ‘We knew Precise was away a month ago but she had a very easy bit of work because she had a temperature a month or two ago. That meant we didn’t do what we wanted so there was always going to be a danger it would catch her out a little bit and I think she just got a bit tired.’
It was a third victory in the feature for Cork-born Lordan who was also previously successful aboard Winter (2017) and Hermosa (2019) for O’Brien.
The 44-year-old was sidelined for eight months with multiple fractures in 2023 when sustaining a horror fall from San Antonio in the Irish Derby but his front-running victory aboard Lambourn in last year’s Derby and this triumph on True Love showcased what a vital cog he has become to the Ballydoyle operation.
‘Thankfully, it’s a lucky race for me but I’m in the position to ride nice horses and you’ve always got a chance when you’re riding nice horses,’ he said.
‘She’s a big, powerful filly as you could see in the ring. She’s quite tall but she has the strength to go with it.
‘She ran over seven furlongs the last day and she got to the line quite well and because she showed so much pace there was always a little question mark over whether she would get the mile.
‘Her homework would suggest that she would, so we came here today confident and hopeful. She jumped and she relaxed beautifully and I went through the race very comfortable and when I asked her to go forward, she got to the line well.’