Field of Gold and Lake Victoria Star in Irish Guineas Double

Pure class—both colt and filly delivered in style, proving far superior to their rivals over the turf at The Curragh

Field of Gold Delivers at The Curragh

COUNTY KILDARE, Irlanda (Special for Turf Diario).- There were no surprises over the weekend at The Curragh, as Field of Gold and Lake Victoria lived up to their strong credentials with commanding victories in the Tattersalls Irish 2000 and 1000 Guineas (G1), respectively, contested Saturday and Sunday on good ground.

Runner-up to Ruling Court (Justify) in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket—many believed he was poorly handled there by Kieren Shoemaker—the Juddmonte homebred faced no such issues this time. With Colin Keane aboard and under the guidance of John and Thady Gosden, the Kingman colt tracked his pacemaker stablemate Windlord (Dubawi) before asserting with complete authority once taking over at the 400-meter mark. He surged clear to defeat another barnmate, Cosmic Year (Kingman), by 3 1/2 lengths in a commanding 1-2 finish for the famous silks. Hotazhell (Too Darn Hot) closed late for third, with the clock stopping at 1:36.58.

“That was a proper race—just as strong as the English Guineas,” said John Gosden. “Hopefully the owners will want to go to Royal Ascot for the St James’s Palace Stakes (G1). Prince Saud is quite keen on stepping him up to 10 furlongs, but we’ll give it some more thought.”

On Sunday, it was the fillies' turn, and Lake Victoria bounced back impressively after a disappointing sixth in the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. The daughter of Frankel, winner of both the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) in 2024, gave Aidan O’Brien an eleventh win in the Irish 1000 Guineas—but not without a touch of drama.

Trapped on the rail for much of the running, Ryan Moore had to wait for a seam to open in the stretch. When it did, the Coolmore colorbearer drove through gamely and reeled in pacesetter California Dreamer (Mehmas), pulling away late to score by 2 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:36.38.

Next on her agenda is likely the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, where she will look to solidify her standing atop the European sophomore filly ranks.