Empress Josephine, near side, mows down Joan Of Arc, centre© Photo Healy Racing
Empress Josephine came with a devastating late run to nail her stablemate Joan Of Arc on the line in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh.
Joan Of Arc showed plenty of toe to head No Speak Alexander a furlong and a half out. The two had the field on the stretch at the furlong pole as they battled for supremacy.
It was Joan Of Arc who led narrowly in the final 100 yards, however, Empress Josephine was finishing very strongly in third and raced home for Seamie Heffernan to pick her off by a short head at 14/1.
The runner-up was a 9/2 chance under Ryan Moore and was a length up on No Speak Alexander (13/2).
Aidan O'Brien said: “We thought she was lovely the first day and then at Leopardstown all the leaders went too fast over seven.
“We then ran her over nine furlongs in Gowran, a lovely run but we thought nine may have just caught her out.
“She’s able to quicken and Seamus gave her a lovely ride. She’s very classy. She might go for the Coronation Stakes but we’ll see what the lads want to do.
“She’s a sister to Minding and the second filly is a sister to Gleneagles.
“We were going to step Joan Of Arc up to ten furlongs after today and she might go for the French Oaks.”
Heffernan added: "I thought I had got there. I had a willing partner. I should have won well, I got sideways two (furlongs) down and it knocked her off her balance. I was a lucky winner but I should have won well.
"I was happy enough with who I was following. I thought the filly with the highest rating (Pretty Gorgeous) would take me there. Irish racing is always tactical. If you don't have a horse that can jump and travel in the first furlong you are on the back foot. Irish racing has got very like French racing. It has been like that a while.
"I'm delighted to be on this one. It's my fifth Guineas, I'm as hungry as ever. I won on her in Naas on similar conditions and she's very well bred and I'm delighted to be on a winner." Pretty Gorgeous the 15/8 favourite, finished seventh and her trainer Joseph O'Brien said: “I thought she ran very well. It’s a tough mile up there in that ground without a prep run and she was only beaten three lengths.
"We’re looking forward to the rest of the year with her. She’ll probably go to Ascot. It’s a long year.”
This was a 10th Irish 1,000 Guineas for Aidan O'Brien.
Paddy Power trimmed Joan Of Arc from 5/1 to 9/2 for the Coronation Stakes.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
