Joan of Arc, a daughter of top Coolmore stallion, Galileo, lived up to her owners’ expectations when taking the Group 3 Irish 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown Racecourse.
The winner of the one mile contest is out of the hugely successful broodmare and Group 2 winner You’resothrilling, the full sister to champion racehorse and champion sire Giant’s Causeway.
Joan Of Arc (11/4f) quickly went to the front of the field under English jockey Ryan Moore. She held a slight lead until eventual runner-up Flirting Bridge came head-to-head with her entering the final 3 furlongs.
Joan Of Arc soon pulled away, building up a lead and finally passing the wire with one and three-quarter lengths to spare over 50/1 chance Flirting Bridge. The daughter of American Pharoah, Thinking Of You (40/1), trained by Aidan O’Brien’s son and Breeders’ Cup-winning jockey and handler, Joseph, was the same distance back in third. The War Front filly More Beautiful was next in fourth place, also trained by O’Brien Senior, meaning the Coolmore partners owned the first three home in the Irish 1000 Guineas Trial.
Joan Of Arc, a February-foaled filly missed out on a debut win by a nose at Dundalk in November 2020, but won on her first racetrack appearance this year at The Curragh.
She disappointed on her next run when only sixth in the seven furlong, Group 3 Ballylinch Stud “Priory Belle” 1000 Guineas Trial Stakes (Fillies) behind the John Feane-trained Keeper Of Time.
“The last day was a bit of a non-event for Joan of Arc, but she came out of it lovely” explained Aidan O’Brien. “The plan was to come back here and then maybe go to the Irish Guineas. Ryan (Moore) said she might stay a bit further so we’re very happy with that. She’s a very relaxed filly.”
Bred by Coolmore, the bay filly runs in the colours of Derrick Smith and is owned in partnership with Mrs John Magnier and Michael Tabor.
The winning jockey, Ryan Moore, commenting on Joan Of Arc’s win, said:
“She’s a high-class filly, beautiful mover. I think when the ground gets quicker it might help her again. She’s going the right way.”
The regular Coolmore jockey continued:
“She deserves to take her chance at a higher level. She’s beautifully bred and we would be very happy with what she did today. She did everything right. I think there is a chance she will stay a little bit further.”
A 334th stakes-winner worldwide for Galileo, Joan Of Arc is a sixth stakes-winner from seven foals to race for You’resothrilling. Joan of Arc is a full sister to multiple Group 1 winners Gleneagles (English and Irish 2000 Guineas multiple Group 1 winner) and Happily (Moyglare Stud Stakes and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner), Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Marvellous, Australian Group 2 winner Taj Mahal and Group 3 Weld Park Stakes winner Coolmore.
The Group 1 placed Vatican City is the only one of the Galileo-You’resothrilling foals not to have claimed a stakes success.
The win of Joan Of Arc was a fifth Irish 1000 Guineas Trial victory for Ballydoyle, County Tipperary-based handler Aidan O’Brien. Ireland’s perennial champion trainer previously took the Trial with Belle Artiste (2005), Queen Cleopatra (2006), Just Pretending (2013) and Kissed By Angels (2015).
Photo: Courtesy of Breandán Ó hUallacháin
