AIDAN O’Brien struck an ominous chord in the build up to the first fillies’ Irish classic of the season when he expressed the view that Hermosa had progressed from her Newmarket heroics and that view was borne out in resounding fashion as the Galileo filly overpowered a quality line-up.

After bravely making all in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, Hermosa was the 5/2 favourite to become the fourth filly to follow up at the Curragh. The same tactics were again deployed only this time the result was a far more decisive one as O’Brien surpassed Hubert Hartigan’s long-standing record tally seven victories in this race.

The manner in which Hermosa finished out her race here would suggest that longer trips will suit her and a switch to farther is the plan as she will bid to break new ground for the trainer when she contests the Prix de Diane later this month. Indeed Hermosa will bid to become an all too rare Irish-trained winner of that race, with Sweet Mimosa the last filly from these shores to land the ‘French Oaks’ all the way back in 1970.

At the Curragh, Hermosa emulated Phoenix Of Spain’s tactics from the previous afternoon by going straight to the front from a low draw for Ryan Moore. She was tracked from early on by Foxtrot Liv and Pretty Pollyanna and, in a race where it paid to be prominent, the last-named pair were the ones that gave the winner most to do.

As the last quarter of a mile loomed, Hermosa began to wind things up and at this point she moved on from Foxtrot Liv. Pretty Pollyanna threatened briefly and chased the winner into the final furlong but an unrelenting Hermosa surged clear to score by four lengths.

Fresh from her victory at Killarney the previous week, Foxtrot Liv ran a tremendous race in third and capped quite a weekend for Paddy Twomey whose first two Irish classic runners both hit the frame – a notable feat.

“The lads changed the plan for her and decided to come here rather than the Oaks and now she will go on to the Prix de Diane,” said O’Brien. “We felt that she had progressed from Newmarket. Possibly she could even go further than a mile and a quarter – her sister (Hydrangea) got a mile and a half – and maybe we could look at the Irish Oaks after France. We’re just delighted to have her here today though.”

The winning rider reflected: “She’s really grown and strengthened a lot from last year and I thought she was very impressive. She gave me a good feel the whole way up there and she never really felt in any danger. She never felt like she was going to get beat and when they do that through a race it’s usually a good sign.’’

The disappointment of the race was the second favourite Qabala who was supplemented following her 1000 Guineas third. She was found to have scoped abnormally.

AS was the case on her first two starts of the season, Magical was operating on an entirely different level to her opponents as she eased to a second Group 1 success which paves her way for an assault on some major prizes through the second half of the season.

Whether Magical will head to Ascot for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes remains to be seen, but races likes the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe are now on the horizon for this filly who looks ready to test her mettle against the best Europe has to offer. That will mean that a clash with Enable and Sea Of Class will surely be on her agenda. Given the manner in which she has started her season, she will be a formidable rival for any horse in the older horses’ division.

This race took on a similar look to Magical’s first two outings of the season as her stablemate and Irish St Leger winner Flag Of Honour took the field along at a decent pace with Ryan Moore happy to look on from second aboard the 2/7 favourite.

Magical's joint-owners John Magnier Michael Tabor and groom Padraig Palmer after the filly's win in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup / Healy Racing

Loomed upsides

Magical was travelling supremely well turning for home and with over two furlongs to run she loomed upsides the leader. Moore asked her to move on and she did so in style to move ever farther clear, eventually coming home some seven lengths in front of Flag Of Honour. There was a further gap of four and three-quarter lengths back to Mustajeer who came through to secure third in the closing stages.

“She’s a big, powerful mare with a great mind and temperament and it’s just a privilege to have her as a four-year-old,” reflected Aidan O’Brien who was winning this race for the eighth time. “The plan for her at the start of the season was always to go for the Alleged, the Mooresbridge and this race and then we said we’d see about Ascot.

“The Prince Of Wales’s is a possibility but we are also thinking of the autumn for her and she is going to need a break at some stage. So, we could go to Ascot and then give her a break or instead give her a break now with a view to having a prep for the Irish Champion Stakes and then heading on for the Arc de Triomphe.

“Hopefully, she just comes out of this race in good shape and then we will be able to make a plan with her,” concluded O’Brien.

THE day began with a rather compelling Ascot trial from Arizona in the Tally-Ho Stud Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden over six furlongs. The Ryan Moore-ridden son of No Nay Never was an 8/15 favourite to build on his debut-second to Sunday Sovereign earlier this month and he did so with real authority.

He stretched away over the last couple of furlongs to finish eight lengths clear of his unraced stablemate King Of Athens. Sadly, Red Assembly sustained a fatal injury when coming down inside the last furlong when holding second. His jockey Luke McAteer was able to walk away from the incident.

“We really liked him the first day and he looked an Ascot two-year-old there so we will look at the Coventry for him. Ryan said he galloped out very well through the line,” remarked O’Brien.

AT long last the premier handicap victory that deserved to come his way finally arrived for Aussie Valentine (16/1) in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Habitat Handicap.

A winner of six races and placed in seven premier handicaps over the last six seasons, Aussie Valentine was able to take advantage of a 6lb slippage in the ratings since the start of the turf season.

He crept through against the fair rail to lead inside the last couple of furlongs before lasting home for Tom Madden to beat Innamorare by half a length. The Adrian McGuinness stalwart is owned by Gary Devlin and Joseph McCrory.

“I spoke to Jamie Spencer earlier and he said if you are not in the first three or four you are wasting your time so I told Tom to be positive on him,” declared McGuinness who will aim his charge at the valuable mile and seven-furlong handicaps at Galway.

BABY Power’s victory in the Hanlon Concrete Handicap over six furlongs made it a memorable weekend for the Caldwell family. In the first instance, the 14/1 chance was giving trainer Gary Caldwell his first victory at the Curragh and the mare is owned by the trainer’s father and Irish Stable Staff Association chief executive, Bernard. For good measure the last-named also retained his seat in the local council elections.

In a dramatic conclusion to this contest, Little Clarinet was hampered by a loose horse when holding the lead on the far side inside the last furlong, and having lost invaluable momentum she dropped to fourth as the strong-finishing Baby Power and Leigh Roche got home by a length and a half from Polly Douglas.

The Guineas weekend drew to a terrific crescendo for in-form apprentice Andy Slattery who won the last two races on the card and this brace included a 50/1 triumph on Telepathy in the 10-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.

This was a first winner on the flat for trainer Tommy Shaw and it was entirely fitting that it should come at a course where his father, Tommy, won the 1960 Irish 1000 Guineas with Zenobia.

Although this Dolmen Racing Club-owned filly was unplaced on her Irish debut, she had been placed on all six of her starts in France and rewarded the faith of her connections who paid €3,000 for her at Goffs in November.

Telepathy arrived late on the scene to defeat the odds-on Harzan by a length and a quarter.

Slattery made it two winners from as many rides for Dermot Weld over the course of the three days when Dalton Highway (13/2) swooped late in the Boodles Handicap over two miles. The Dr Ronan Lambe-owned gelding had to bide his time to get a gap in the straight but when an opening arrived he shot through to nail Tirmizi in the final yards.

DENIS Hogan and owner James McAuley have been enjoying quite a run with their inexpensive purchases lately and they have a real bargain on their hands in Hathiq (5/2) who looks ready to make his mark in premier handicap company. A £3,000 purchase in January, this gelding went up 11lbs for winning at Tipperary just over a month ago but that made no difference as outclassed his opponents in the five-furlong handicap. The Rockingham Handicap on Derby weekend is the plan for this especially quick five-year-old who was making just his seventh outing.