Mother Earth Completes QIPCO 1,000 Guineas Hat Trick For Ballydoyle

Mother Earth (3f Zoffany - Many Colours, by Green Desert) returned better than ever to land the QIPCO 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday; providing Aidan O’Brien with his third consecutive victory in the Classic.

Racing towards the back of the field under Frankie Dettori, the bay made good headway approaching the two furlong marker and was soon pushed along to lead. Ridden entering the final furlong, she kept on well to win by a length, with another quarter length back to stablemate Santa Barbara (Camelot) in fourth.

Speaking after the race, a delighted O’Brien said, “She's a very good filly and always was. She was very professional. She relaxed, quickened and did everything very well.” On future plans for the winner and fourth, he added, “Santa Barbara was always going to go to the Oaks and Mother Earth was always going to go for the Irish Guineas.”

Mother Earth proved remarkably consistent as a two-year-old, finishing out of the placings on just one of her eight starts. An impressive Group 3 winner over six furlongs, she was placed in five Stakes races, including twice at Group 1 level.

Owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier and Michael Tabor, the Grenane House Stud-bred bay was bought by MV Magnier for €150,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale. She becomes a fourth Group 1 winner by the late Zoffany.