Galileo continued his domination of the 2011 European classics when Misty For Me swooped late to land the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh on Sunday.
Misty For Me (3f Galileo – Butterfly Cove by Storm Cat) led home a Group 1 quinella for her stable and sire with a three-quarter length victory over Together. USA bred filly Laughing Lashes (Mr Greeley) was best of the rest.
Galileo had already claimed the English 2000 Guineas (Frankel), Irish 2000 Guineas (Roderic O’Connor) and French 1000 Guineas (Golden Lilac) this year.
Misty For Me was the subject of strong market support despite a last-start failure in the English 1000 Guineas. She had earned Champion 2YO Filly honours last year after G1 victories in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh and Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp.
“She just didn’t fire for some reason at Newmarket,” trainer Aidan O’Brien said. “But she showed last season that she’s a capable Group 1 filly. She got the mile very well and was doing her very best work at the finish.”
It was O’Brien’s fifth Irish 1000 Guineas and he is now tied with Paddy Prendergast as the most successful trainer of the race in the post-war era.
Misty For Me will be set for either the English Oaks or Prix de Diane. She is from an unraced half-sister to Fasliyev who was an unbeaten juvenile winner of the G1 Phoenix Stakes & G1 Prix Morny.