Aidan O’Brien has offered a promising update on Lake Victoria’s chances of making the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket next month.
Lake Victoria update: Star filly ‘really coming’ as Guineas preparation takes shape
Last month, O’Brien was doubtful of her participation in the Newmarket Classic as she had a longer break through the winter than her stablemates following a busy season.
The Ballydoyle handler insisted he would train Lake Victoria for the race regardless and if she wasn’t up to speed in time, she would head for the Athasi Stakes at the Curragh on Monday, May 5 – a day after the Betfred 1000 Guineas.
Less than three weeks away at a press morning on Monday, O’Brien sounded increasingly optimistic of the prospect – for which she is a 6/1 chance with the sponsors.
“Lake Victoria is on the way back. We stepped her up a couple of weeks ago and she’s really coming – she could be there in time.”
The unbeaten Frankel filly made her track debut last June before winning Group 1s at each of six furlongs, seven furlongs and a mile.
An impressive season culminated in capturing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar in November, defying trouble in-running to storm up the home straight and land the spoils readily.
After winning her first three starts over seven furlongs, there was no doubt Coolmore had another special talent on their hands as she dropped back to win at six in the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket prior to trying a mile in America.
On her third run in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, even the yard were taken aback by what they had – sent off at 11/2 and the stable’s second string with Wayne Lordan on board as Ryan Moore opted to ride odds-on favourite Bedtime Story.
WATCH: Lake Victoria wins the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
In January, Lake Victoria was crowned the Champion European two-year-old filly for 2024. Rated 119, at her age she was bettered by only Charlie Appleby’s Dewhurst winner Shadow Of Light (120).
That mark rates Lake Victoria as O’Brien’s second-best two-year-old filly in history behind former European Horse of the Year, Minding (120 – 2015), who went on to win the 1000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes as a three-year-old.
Lake Victoria became the only Champion filly to win three Group 1s at the age of two and joined O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup Turf and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Found (2014) as the only fillies to be outright two-year-old Champions in their native country of Ireland.
