Trainer Jessica Harrington has realised a long-held ambition, registering her first Classic victory with Alpha Centauri in the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh.
Harrington has enjoyed plenty of success both in the National Hunt division and the Flat sphere, but a big space on her CV reserved for one of the Classics has now been filled.
Could It Be Love held a notable advantage with a couple of furlongs to run before Colm O’Donoghue delivered his mount down the middle of the track to win by 1-3/4 lengths with the favourite Happily third.
“It’s fantastic. I’ve finally got the Classic,” Harrington said.
“I’ve been second and third and the horses have always run really well, but this is dream come true for me to win a Classic. It’s almost as good as winning a Gold Cup!
“This is the first time since Ascot last year that she’s got good ground and that’s the key to her. She likes good, quick ground.
“I’d say we’ll look at Ascot, but we’ll let the dust settle and see what we are doing.”
Both Guineas placegetters were trained by Aidan O’Brien who had better fortune in the Tattersall’s Gold Cup with Lancaster Bomber trumping his more-fancied stablemate Cliffs Of Moher by two lengths.
“He’s been running at the top level the whole time, all in Group Ones,” O’Brien said.
“The plan was to come here and then go back to Ascot for the mile race (Queen Anne) again. I’d imagine that’s where he’d go, but he’d have an option of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes now.”
