Galileo, Coolmore Dominate European Classics

The May 28 Tattersalls Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1) was déjà vu all over again.

Less than a month ago trainer Aidan O'Brien accompanied one of his 3-year-old filly charges, Winter, into the winner's enclosure after the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket. The day before Winter's score, O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore took the QIPCO English Two Thousand Guineas with Coolmore partners' Churchill.

As part of a three-pronged attack, Winter was a long enough shot that regular Ballydoyle rider Moore opted for the favored Rhododendron, who finished a well-beaten second in the English One Thousand Guineas (G1), leaving jockey Wayne Lordan to pick up his first classic success.

Such was not the case three weeks later at the Curragh.

Following another sparkling Moore-ridden Churchill win, this time in the Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) May 27, and with Rhododendron sitting out the Irish fillies Guineas, Winter, with Moore in the saddle, delivered an even more impressive performance on the yielding Curragh turf in the Irish One Thousand Guineas.

With stablemate Hydrangea setting the pace, as she did at Newmarket, Winter sat midpack in the eight-horse field. Six furlongs into the race, the grey daughter of Galileo pressed her case and soon led, increasing her advantage to 4 3/4 lengths at the finish in a time of 1:39.78.

Ballydoyle stablemate Roly Poly, a Kentucky-bred daughter of War Front   out of Ethiad Airways Irish One Thousand Guineas winner Misty for Me, closed from last to nick pacesetter Hydrangea by a head for second, for yet another Aidan O'Brien trifecta in a group 1 race. Son Joseph O'Brien got fourth money with Intricately, ridden by his brother Donnacha O' Brien.

Laddies Poker Two Syndicate bred Winter in Ireland from the Choisir mare Laddies Poker Two. 

The four-peat performance by the Ballydoyle charges means that Coolmore lynchpin stallion Galileo sired all the 2017 classic winners in the British Isles so far, Aidan O' Brien—who added a seventh Irish One Thousand Guineas—trained them all, and the Coolmore partners of Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith owned them all.

Winter is the third filly to win the English/Irish One Thousand Guineas double following Attraction in 2004 and Finsceal Beo in 2007.

As expected, Galileo offspring dominated on the yielding turf.

The group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at 10 1/2 furlongs went to Decorated Knight, another son of Galileo out of Giant's Causeway  's winning full sister Pearling. Owned and bred by Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar, favored Decorated Knight won by 1 1/4 lengths over the Aidan O'Brien-trained pair of Somehow (Fastnet Rock) and Deauville (Galileo).

Trained by Roger Charlton and ridden by Andrea Atzeni, Decorated Knight won the Jebel Hatta Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) at Meydan in March.

Claiborne Farm-based stallion War Front (Danzig) added a 62nd stakes winner to his resume when his 3-year-old Kentucky-bred son Homesman took the lead from his eight rivals in the final furlong and held on to win the 10-furlong Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes (G3) for Aidan O' Brien and Moore by a head over Born To Play (Born To Sea). Finn McCool (Galileo) finished third.

Joe Allen bred and co-owns the colt in partnership with the familiar band of Magnier, Tabor, and Smith. The dark bay colt is out of My Annette a Red Ransom (Roberto) half sister to leading sire Dynaformer (Roberto).  The family traces back to Darby Dan Farm's blue hen mare Golden Trail.