Galileo's Peaceful Takes the Irish 1000

The Curragh's Saturday card was run on real Galileo (Ire) ground and so it was with a degree of predictability that his sole representative in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas Peaceful (Ire) relished the fast going to bring up a second fillies' Classic in less than a week for Ballydoyle. It proved a momentous renewal for Michael Tabor, who saw the first three home carry his silks, for the supersire who was surpassing Danehill with a record 85th group 1 winner, and also for the O'Brien family with Aidan, Donnacha and Joseph responsible for the first four. Last seen finishing runner-up in Newmarket's Listed Montrose Fillies' S. in November, the TDN Rising Star was placed in a close-up second by Seamie Heffernan early before beginning to edge ahead from the two pole. In effect, the race was decided there and then with Peaceful's stamina assured and at the line the 3-1 second favourite had two lengths to spare over the strong-closing Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), with So Wonderful (War Front) a head back in third. Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), the strongly-supported 6-5 favourite, was only sixth.

“She had been very impressive in her homework and I did fancy her here,” commented Heffernan, who was enjoying a fourth renewal which makes him the winningmost modern-day rider in this Classic. “She did what she was showing us at home. I've got myself beaten plenty of times by trying to be clever, so I was comfortable where I was. From four down, I gradually stepped up the pace and whatever was going to get me had to make up three lengths. Like Love, she's tidy and a good mover and is definitely tough enough to go to Royal Ascot next week. She could be anything.”

Aidan O'Brien, who was saddling a ninth Irish 1,000 winner as he continues to rewrite the record books, has Saturday's G1 Coronation S. in mind for Peaceful. “She's a lovely filly and we always thought a lot of her,” he said. “Her work had been lovely and when the other filly did that at Newmarket we were looking forward to today. She is very like Love, in that she is very uncomplicated and Seamus gave her a lovely ride. It was a big help that the ground was nice and she shouldn't have had too hard a race. We'll see what the lads want to do on Monday and although she'll definitely get a mile and a quarter, she's a strong uncomplicated miler who gets it well so the Coronation is possible.”

Peaceful started out over seven furlongs at Leopardstown in August and after reportedly becoming upset in the stalls was coaxed into ninth by Heffernan behind fellow TDN Rising Star Ridenza (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who was a late absentee from this renewal due to the prevalent quick ground. After a near two-month break, she re-emerged to show her true merit when the seven-length winner of a mile maiden on yielding-to-soft ground at Thurles in which stablemate Snow (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who scored on this card was 11 lengths behind in fourth. Taken to Newmarket for the Montrose, she was beaten a neck by the newcomer Born With Pride (Ire) (Born To Sea {Ire}) on heavy ground as Run Wild (Ger) (Amaron {GB}) finished 1 1/4 lengths off them.

After Run Wild and Ballydoyle's leading lady Love had caused their own respective sensations at Newmarket the previous Sunday, Peaceful was moving up the ante-post market as this race neared despite the presence of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Albigna. After the rain failed to arrive in sufficient quantity to deny the top-of-the-ground merchants, the early signs on the fixture pointed to her more and more as the evening wore on. With the aforementioned Snow and Salsa (Ire) battling out the fillies' maiden and Lancaster House (Ire) taking the G3 Gladness S. by storm, it was a case of Galileo truly being in his counting house by the time Peaceful arrived to post.

Denied the lead by Jessie Harrington's second-string and G3 Oh So Sharp S. runner-up Valeria Messalina (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Heffernan was nevertheless in an ideal spot and he applied the pressure to that rival to keep up as he turned the screw passing halfway. Responding to a light flick with the whip to assert from two out, the winner was soon beyond reach as Fancy Blue unwound a stirring closing effort out wide from rear under Declan McDonogh. Due an upgrade racing against the bias that often comes into play on this track when it is riding fast, the runner-up played her part in a remarkable O'Brien family whitewash completed by Joseph's fourth-placed New York Girl (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}).

O'Brien Sr was left marvelling yet again at the power of the Galileo factor. “Donnacha loved her when he won on her in Thurles last year and then she went to Newmarket and couldn't walk a yard in the heavy ground, but still kept fighting and wasn't beaten far at the line. That's the sign of a really good filly, she just wouldn't lie down. They are Galileo fillies and we are just so lucky to have them. They are beautifully-bred, big, rangy, scopey fillies and they get better and better. So Wonderful ran well to finish third. I don't think she'll get much further. She's still a maiden, so we could always go back and try and win her maiden with her.”

Peaceful's dam Missvinski (Stravinsky) was successful in the Listed Prix Zeddaan and Listed Prix Ronde de Nuit sprints on turf and all-weather before finishing shaking up the high-class Darjina (Fr) (Zamindar) when runner-up in the 2007 G1 Prix d'Astarte. Her second foal was this stable's Listed Hurry Harriet S. winner and triple group 3-placed Easter (Ire) by Galileo who was bought by Eaton Bloodstock for 800,000gns at last year's Tattersalls December Sale. The third dam Careless Aly (Alydar) is an unraced full-sister to the GI Turf Classic hero and G1 Epsom Derby-placed Cacoethes, as well as being kin to the GI Santa Susanna S. winner Fabulous Notion (Somethingfabulous). She is in turn the dam of the GI Test S. heroine Fabulously Fast (Deputy Minister) related to the GI Alabama S. scorer Careless Jewel (Tapit) and the GI Hollywood Derby and GI Eddie Read H. hero Subordination (Mt. Livermore). Missvinski's yearling is a full-sister to Peaceful.

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
TATTERSALLS IRISH 1000 GUINEAS-G1, €250,000, Curragh, 6-13, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:38.19, g/f.
1–PEACEFUL (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Missvinski (MSW & G1SP-Fr, SP-USA, $231,715), by Stravinsky
2nd Dam: Miss U Fran, by Brocco
3rd Dam: Careless Aly, by Alydar
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Seamus Heffernan. €145,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $181,305. *Full to Easter (IRE), SW & MGSP-Ire, $109,475. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Fancy Blue (Ire), 128, f, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Chenchikova (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €50,000.
3–So Wonderful, 128, f, 3, War Front–Wonder of Wonders, by Kingmambo. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. €25,000.
Margins: 2, HD, HD. Odds: 3.00, 12.00, 6.50.
Also Ran: New York Girl (Ire), Even So (Ire), Albigna (Ire), Apricot Moon (GB), Katiba (Ire), Valeria Messalina (Ire), Soul Search (Ire), My Lucky Penny (Ire). Scratched: Brook On Fifth (Ire), Miss Myers (Ire), Ridenza (Ire), Roca Roma (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.