NEWMARKET – Trainer Aidan O’Brien’s True Love showed the step-up to a mile was no issue for her, with an authoritative victory in the £525,000 (S$907,000) Group 1 Betfred 1000 Guineas (1,600m) at Newmarket on May 3.
All eyes were on stablemate and 9-5 market leader Precise, but the 2025 Group 1 Fillies’ Mile (1,600m) heroine never really looked like getting in contention under Ryan Moore.
Thankfully for team Ballydoyle, they had a well-fancied second string to their bow. The 2025 Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes (1,200m) winner True Love readily brushed aside any stamina concerns under a well-timed ride from Wayne Lordan.
The daughter of No Nay Never – who made a successful reappearance in the Group 3 Ballylinch Stud Priory Belle Stakes (1,400m) on April 12 – made stealthy headway from off the pace to move into contention. She then challenged long-time leader Venetian Lace (Jason Hart) as the field headed down to the final furlong.
Trainer Karl Burke’s Evolutionist (Shane Foley) attempted to go with the Ballydoyle contender towards the far side, but she never looked like getting back on terms with True Love ($37), who found plenty late on to bound clear for a 1¾-length success.
Evolutionist had to settle for second, with Venetian Lace in third. Precise finished back in seventh.
Though O’Brien, who was winning the fillies’ Classic for the eighth time, was pleased with her sixth victory, he also admitted to his “previous mistake” when he ran the three-year-old filly in the shorter Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (1,000m) at Del Mar in November 2025.
“I’m delighted for everybody, it’s a big team effort and Wayne gave her a beautiful ride,” said the Irish master trainer.
“It’s a big team and we really appreciate all the hard work that goes into it. She’s a monster of a filly really.
“She won a Cheveley Park and then I ran her in the wrong race at the Breeders’ Cup. I ran her over six where I should have ran her in the mile.”
True Love was adding a classic to her already impressive CV, having shed her maiden status in the 2025 Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes (1,000m) at Royal Ascot.
Added O’Brien: “She’s a massive, big, powerful filly. It’s hard to believe just how big she is, I wouldn’t have thought any of the colts were as big and as powerful as her.
“She has a lot of class, a great mind, a great traveller and she’s determined as well.
“Newmarket is the one track in the world where there is nowhere to hide. If you get a mile up here, well you have to really get it.
“Wayne gave her a super ride and was very patient on her. He only produced her when he had to and I’m over the moon for her.”
Paddy Power reacted by cutting True Love from odds of 6-1 to even-money favourite for the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas (1,600m) at the Curragh on May 24.
The same firm made her the 5-2 market leader for the Group 1 Coronation Stakes (1,600m) at Royal Ascot on June 20.
“I’d imagine you are looking at the Irish Guineas and Coronation with her,” said O’Brien. “She’s a very classy filly.”
On the performance of Precise, he added: “I was very happy with both fillies. We knew Precise was away a month ago, but she had a very easy bit of work because she had a temperature a month or two ago.
“That meant we didn’t get to do what we wanted, so there was always going to be a danger that it would catch her out a little bit and I think she just got a bit tired.”
While the winner looks sure to stick to a mile in her near future, Burke is already eyeing a step-up in trip for Evolutionist, who will now head straight to France to contest the Group 1 Prix de Diane (2,100m) at Chantilly on June 14.
“She’s ran a fantastic race and is all heart,” he said. “Shane said it was quicker than she would have wanted it.
“She was going a nice gallop, but he said she couldn’t have gone any quicker on that ground and didn’t want to put a gun to her head and just let her get in a nice rhythm.
“She finished off well and a furlong out, I thought she might do it and she will stay further.
“I would say we’ll go to France for the Prix de Diane. The Irish race will come too soon for her, so I would say it will be straight to Chantilly, as she will have had a hard race there.
“She’s a very good filly, very progressive and hopefully a step-up in trip will find more improvement.
“We went to France for her prep run just to test the water really and she performed really well there, so I think a mile and a quarter will be spot-on for her.” RACING AND SPORTS
