Winter Hands Stablemates Defeat in One Thousand Guineas

While the singers were different, the song remained the same for the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1), as Galileo offspring again dominated the main event over the Rowley Mile course May 7 at Newmarket.

As expected the connections from Ballydoyle and Coolmore held the winning hand, but contrary to popular opinion in the betting pools, it wasn't Galileo's 5-4 favorite Rhododendron with jockey Ryan Moore on board who scampered home first in the English classic for 3-year-old fillies, but her stablemate Winter.

An also-ran to Lady Aurelia for the 2016 Cartier Award for juvenile fillies, Rhododendron was making her seasonal debut. She closed last year with a victory in the Dubai Fillies' Mile (G1) over the Newmarket course.  

Joined by 13 other hopefuls, including her Aidan O'Brien-trained stablemates Hydrangea and Winter—both by Galileo—Rhododendron settled into an easy rhythm as part of a midfield group that included Shadwell's Talaayeb and Winter behind the pace set by Hydrangea. Frankie Dettori had Nell Gwyn Stakes (G3) winner Daban at the rear of the pack.

As the field finished the first six furlongs and began to pick up the pace in earnest, Moore looked for running room but could not find a seam to slip through. Winter, who under Wayne Lordon had problems at the start, found clear sailing at the critical point. As Hydrangea bid adieu to the lead, Winter took over, quickening and holding sway in the final furlong to win by two lengths over Rhododendron. 

Daban closed well from the back for John Gosden to claim third, while Talaayeb, also compromised by traffic, came in fourth.

The time for the mile over the good-to-firm going was 1:35.66, almost a second faster than the previous day's QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1).

Winter's victory gave O'Brien his fourth in the One Thousand Guineas. He won in 2005 with Virginia Waters (Kingmambo), in 2012 with Homecoming Queen (Holy Roman Emperor), and last year with Minding (Galileo). For the second consecutive year, the wizard of Ballydoyle won both English Guineas. 

Laddies Poker Two Syndicate bred the striking gray filly in Ireland from the Choisir mare Laddies Poker Two, who won the Wokingham Handicap at Ascot for the Coolmore partners. 

The cross of Galileo with a Choisir mare is a variation on the highly successful pattern, because Choisir is a son of Danehill Dancer. Galileo crossed with Danehill Dancer mares has produced 69 foals (3-year-old and up) and 11 (15.9%) black-type winners, including group 1 winners Alice Springs, Minding, and The Gurkha.

The Galileo exacta in the One Thousand Guineas, however, fell one short of the Galileo trifecta in the day's Derrinstown Derby Trial Classic (G3) across the Irish Sea at Leopardstown.

Two short heads separated Douglas Macarthur from Yucatan and Capri in the 12-furlong classic prelude. A full brother to Investec Epsom Oaks (G1) winner Was, Douglas Macarthur is out of the Green Desert mare Alluring Park. Lodge Park Stud bred him in Ireland and M.V. Magnier signed the $1,988,913 ticket at the 2015 Tattersalls October yearling sale.

Also with classic implications, Leopardstown carded the Derrinstown Stud One Thousand Guineas Trial (G3). Bean Feasa, representing the Godolphin interests from the yard of Jim Bolger, won by 2 3/4 lengths over Asking. 

Ridden by Kevin Manning and trained by Bolger, Bean Feasa is a daughter of Dubawi out of the Danehill mare Speirbhean, who won the same event in 2001 for Bolger and Manning. She is also the dam of Darley stallion Teofilo.