O'Brien Hails Oaks Winner Love as His Finest Filly

The bookmakers have decided. As Love entered York's starting stalls, most firms had Enable as marginal favorite for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1). By the time Love passed York's winning post, the pair had flip-flopped.

Love is now considered No. 1 for the prestigious contest in October. When Aidan O'Brien compared her to all his great fillies of the past, he said the same.

Across a training career that has been like no other, the master of Ballydoyle has sent out the winners of eight Investec Oaks (G1) and six QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1). Love won them both. Such was the manner of her triumph in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1) Aug. 20, she was elevated not only by bookmakers but also her trainer, who described her as the most exciting filly he has ever trained.

As has become her style, the leading light in this year's classic crop secured group 1 honors by the sort of distance normally associated with a maiden hurdle in the Chepstow mud.

In the Newmarket classic, it was 4 1/4 lengths. In the Epsom classic, it was nine lengths. In a York appearance that had caused connections considerable concern due to the possibility of testing conditions, the margin was five lengths, none of which truly reflected the extent of Love's superiority.

A punter looking for Love can now get between 6-4 and 5-2 about her winning the Arc, for which the history-seeking Enable is a best-priced 3-1 and Wednesday's all-the-way Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) victor Ghaiyyath is 6-1.

Unless Enable sets Kempton's sand ablaze in the September Stakes (G3), Love will take some shifting from the head of the market. If maintaining the form she has set this year, she will take some beating in the race.

"I don't know whether we've had such an exciting filly at this stage," O'Brien said. "I can't name one. We all saw what she did in the Guineas and the Oaks, and we couldn't have been happier with her today. It would be very hard to say we've ever had a more exciting filly than Love—as long as I'm not dreaming in saying that.

"You don't ever want to get carried away, but she has the movement, pace, action, and attitude that are the makings of those great horses."

Galileo's gorgeous daughter quite plainly is a great horse, as she showed by defeating the rapidly improving Alpinista and Qatar Nassau Stakes (G1) second One Voice without turning one of her elegant hairs.

Last and last but one were Franconia and Frankly Darling, respectively, the two fillies sent here by John Gosden, who has again been reminded of the task facing Enable, Stradivarius, and possibly also Mishriff at ParisLongchamp. 

"We were very nervous about running her in the ground because anytime she got beat last year was in slower ground," said O'Brien, who revealed a conference call with owners John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith had taken place following the second race on Thursday, when jockey Ryan Moore pointed out that by running Love at York a valuable lesson could be learned.

"The advantage of running her in that ground was we would find out if we could run her on that sort of surface in the Arc," O'Brien said.  "Even though she handled it, I would be very worried if we get stinking ground in France because she is a beautiful low-actioned filly. We now know she can get away with good to soft, but I wouldn't be sure about heavy ground."

The victory secured Love a guaranteed start in the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

O'Brien confirmed Investec Derby (G1) winner Serpentine will return over the Arc course and distance in the Grand Prix de Paris (G1) next month. Moore stressed his admiration for the colt—"everyone has their opinion on the Derby, but I still think he was a very good winner"—but his feelings for Love were also obvious.

"She has done that very easily today," he said. "She is very special. When I rode her as a 2-year-old, I thought she was exceptional and this year she has thrived."

Worryingly for those who will try to deny Love come the Arc, the filly we saw at York was far from at her peak.

"We gave her a break after Epsom and treated this like her first run back for the autumn," O'Brien said. "You would think and hope she will progress from today. She is getting bigger, wider, and stronger."

Love is seemingly also getting better. As we look toward the race that will define this flat season, that is a decidedly exciting thought.