Precise was a bullet in the Fillies’ Mile, as Aidan O’Brien continues to build his legendary résumé

The Starspangledbanner filly gave the trainer his 22nd G1 victory of the season at Newmarket

Precise, already a G1 winner with strong potential for the future / NEWMARKET

NEWMARKET, Inglaterra (Special for Turf Diario).- Aidan O’Brien continues to add chapters to a season already approaching historic proportions. This Friday, at the opening of the Dubai Future Champions Festival at Newmarket, the Irish trainer notched his 22nd G1 victory of 2025 thanks to Precise, who delivered a devastating finish to prevail from front to finish in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile (G1).

The Starspangledbanner filly also became the seventh Ballydoyle winner of the traditional mile for fillies, joining a distinguished list that includes Sunspangled (Caerleon, 1998), Listen (Sadler's Wells, 2007), Together Forever(Galileo, 2014), Minding (Galileo, 2015), Rhododendron (Galileo, 2016), and Ylang Ylang (Frankel, 2023).

Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Precise traveled comfortably at the rear of the 10-filly field, began her move with 400 meters to go, and seized the lead in the stretch, pulling away to a three-length victory over Venetian Lace(Masar).

“We ran her over 6 furlongs on debut and Wayne (Lordan) said she just got a little lost; otherwise, she would have won. She would be unbeaten otherwise. A filly capable of doing that at Fairyhouse, on a fast track, shows exceptional talent,” said O’Brien.

The trainer added that, given her pedigree—“she’s out of a great mare by Galileo”—the filly has everything to excel over classic distances. “I think she’s a filly to think about for the Classics. She traveled the mile with total ease, and Christophe felt very confident. He said that if he knew her better, he would have waited longer to move her. She’s very serious, still a baby, and has huge scope for improvement.”

Bred by Anna O’Brien, the trainer’s daughter, Precise also represents a family story. “Anna bred her and brought her along from a foal. She’s very straightforward, very elegant, and genuinely exciting,” the proud father highlighted.

Comparing her with Diamond Necklace (St Mark’s Basilica), the recent Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) winner, O’Brien indicated both fillies will be aimed at next year’s 1000 Guineas: “We’ll train them for the Classics. There are three Guineas—English, Irish, and French—and the bosses will decide. But neither will race again this year. Special fillies like these need to be protected and given time to mature over the winter.”

Soumillon, thrilled after the win, also praised his mount: “I was very impressed when she won at Curragh. Today she got a bit behind early, but immediately settled behind Wayne and traveled effortlessly. When I asked her, she passed like a train. She can still improve a lot; she likes coming from behind and finishing strongly.”

On comparing Precise with Diamond Necklace, the jockey was clear: “They’re two very different fillies. Precise is more mature, more race-hardened; Diamond Necklace has something special. But both are top-class.”