Hermosa Completes Guineas Double In Fine Style

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Hermosa (3f Galileo - Beauty Is Truth, by Pivotal) completed the Irish and English 1,000 Guineas double in fine style on Sunday, as she bested her rivals by an impressive four lengths at the Curragh.

Second at the highest level twice as a juvenile, she made virtually all of the running to win at Newmarket under Wayne Lordan earlier in May and was subsequently sent off favourite for her second Classic tilt. Ryan Moore took the ride on this occasion and like Lordan, led the ten-strong field, racing clear from one furlong out. Staying on strongly, she beat previous Group 1 winner Pretty Pollyanna by four lengths, with a further length and a half back to Foxtrot Liv in third.

Ryan Moore commented after the race, “She’s done very well from two to three. She’s really grown and strengthened a lot 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 gave me the feel of a real high class horse.”

O’Brien later confirmed that the Prix de Diane would be Hermosa’s next target and one would assume that the mile and a half trip would come as no problem to her, being a full-sister to Champion Fillies & Mares Stakes heroine Hydrangea (Galileo), while their brother The United States (Galileo) also won a Group 2 over the same distance.

Hermosa was completing a quickfire Group 1 double for Galileo and connections, with Magical (Galileo) having run out an impressive seven length winner of the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup just 35 minutes earlier.