Lake Victoria bounces back with stunning Irish 1000 Guineas win, eyes Royal Ascot next

Aidan O'Brien suggested Lake Victoria's homework had been 'out of this world' prior to a redemptive win in the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh and it seems all roads lead to Royal Ascot next.

The Frankel filly enjoyed an outstanding debut season at two, winning all five races she contested including Group 1 in Ireland, Britain and America.

She was beaten in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on her return but soon put that to rights with her own Classic win on home soil.

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Rowley Mile setback soon forgotten

O'Brien saw Lake Victoria denied for the first time in her career in the Guineas at Newmarket as Desert Flower scored for Godolphin.

The Ballydoyle filly shaped well but was beaten two and a half lengths into sixth, giving off the vibes that she might just have needed the run after a long winter.

That notion was confirmed with a dominant Curragh victory, where she again travelled well but this time picked up in fine style to go clear and win from California Dreamer and Cercene in second and third spots respectively for Adrian Murray and Joseph Murphy.

O'Brien suggested after that dominant win that his filly is only getting going.

"She was only ready to start going to Newmarket. We were going to come here to the Curragh first time out but, the way it worked, she went to Newmarket," he said.

"We thought she ran an incredible race in the circumstances. Ryan [Moore] looked after her and was over the moon with her. Everything went great after Newmarket and her work was out of this world really."

Speedy profile suggests Coronation Stakes will be next

Lake Victoria appears to have the mile as her optimal trip right now and it seems unlikely the Oaks at Epsom will be considered as the next stopping point.

Instead, the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 20th seems the likeliest port of call.

There she could meet the Newmarket scorer Desert Flower, potentially, as well as French Guineas scorer Zarigana.

Lake Victoria dazzled last season with her autumn trio of Group 1 wins coming over three different trips, on three contrasting surfaces and in three different countries in just seven weeks.

O'Brien is content with how things have started and the trainer doesn't seem to be plotting a step up in trip, given the emphasis on speed.

"We've never had a filly that could win a Group 1 over six, seven and a mile before as a two-year-old," he said.

"She went to Newmarket getting ready for a racecourse gallop and was beaten only a length or two in the Guineas. She has all the speed in the world, she travels and does everything."

On the evidence of her smooth Curragh success in the Irish Guineas, Lake Victoria is very much the one to beat come Royal Ascot if sticking to the mile trip.

She holds entries in both the Epsom Oaks and the Irish version back at the Curragh later in June, but she looks an out-and-out miler for now and it is little wonder she is also entered in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood in late July.

4.207f. 213yds. 11 Declared.
Coronation Stakes (Fillies' Group 1) (Rnd) (Class 1 ) of £725,750.00 3-y-o

• Formscan
• Race Info

1st - €411,573.00 2nd - €156,036.00 3rd - €78,091.00 4th - €38,900.00 5th - €19,523.00 6th - €9,798.00 Going - Good to Firm. 

Formscan - The fact that FALAKEYAH has been supplemented could be a tip in itself, and Owen Burrows' filly looked every inch a Group 1 performer in the making when landing the Pretty Polly at Newmarket. Jim Crowley's mount showed electric pace on that occasion and, as long as she settles, it may be difficult for Zarigana to peg her back. The daughter of Siyouni was awarded the French 1000 Guineas after interference and has given the impression on a couple of occasions that going over further than 1m may bring out the best in her. A slightly unlucky fourth in the Longchamp Classic when short of room, Exactly has a Royal Ascot pedigree being out of Queen Mary winner Heartache, but she will need to improve again. A taking winner of a Listed contest at York, Kon Tiki deserves a crack at this level and the booking of William Buick catches the eye.

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  Odds Shortening Odds Lengthening

119	2nd	Zarigana	2/1 11/8	9/5
62	9th	Falakeyah		11/4
810	3rd	January	9/2 15/2	5/1
93	7th	Kon Tiki	7/1 9/1	8/1
35	5th	Chantilly Lace	11/1 18/1	12/1
54	6th	Exactly		14/1
16	4th	Cathedral	18/1 33/1	20/1
711	8th	Flight		22/1
21	1st	Cercene		33/1
107	10th	Simmering		40/1
48	11th	Duty First		66/1
Betting Percentage				121%
Each-Way Terms				3 1/5

 

11⁹

Zarigana 4

9/5

2nd

Rating: 112

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

9/5

3 1/5

6²

Falakeyah 4

11/4

9th

Rating: 105

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

11/4

3 1/5

8¹⁰

January 4

5/1

3rd

Rating: 105

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

5/1

3 1/5

9³

Kon Tiki 4

8/1

7th

Rating: 100

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

8/1

3 1/5

3⁵

Chantilly Lace 4

12/1

5th

Rating: 108

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

12/1

3 1/5

5⁴

Exactly 4

14/1

6th

Rating: 111

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

14/1

3 1/5

1⁶

Cathedral 4

20/1

4th

Rating: 106

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

20/1

3 1/5

7¹¹

Flight 4

22/1

8th

Rating: 111

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

22/1

3 1/5

2¹

Cercene 4

33/1

1st

Rating: 107

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

33/1

3 1/5

10⁷

Simmering 4

40/1

10th

Rating: 109

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

40/1

3 1/5

4⁸

Duty First 4

66/1

11th

Rating: 109

• Odds

Price

E/W

Moves

66/1

3 1/5