Aidan O'Brien completed the Irish Guineas double for the second time in his meteoric career when Imagine landed yesterday's Entenmann's Irish 1,000 Guineas under an inspired ride from Seamus Heffernan.
Desert King and Classic Park did the double for O'Brien in 1997, but while Classic Park never won again, Imagine's classic career looks far from over as Ladbrokes have made the filly their new 3 to 1 favourite for the Epsom Oaks.
It was a sixth Irish classic for 31-year-old O'Brien but a first for Heffernan, who yet again stepped into Michael Kinane's leftover s and struck gold.
The 28-year-rider won the Group One National Stakes on Beckett last year and, although Kinane picked Toroca from the five-strong Ballydoyle entry, Heffernan always looked the winner after pulling Imagine to the outside for a run.
Toroca's stamina began to leak at the furlong pole as Crystal Music went for home, but Imagine, a half-sister to the double Derby winner Generous, used her stamina to outrun the English horse to the tune of two lengths.
"I won the Indian 2,000 Guineas back in 1996 but I suppose that doesn't count," said Heffernan, before grinning: "It's good to b e on the right one for a change!"
The ex-Jim Bolger apprentice had endured the frustration of finishing second in Saturday's 2,000 on Mozart and also had a classic near-miss when just beaten on Kitza in the 1,000 of 1998.
O'Brien confirmed the Oaks is next on Imagine's agenda, and remarkably the Ballydoyle trainer missed out on another clean-sweep only because Crystal Music finished second, ahead of Toroca and Sequoyah.
The latter pair could meet again in Royal Ascot's Coronation Stakes but O'Brien was far from surprised with Imagine's 16 to 1 victory. "She has always been a lovely filly and the lads in the yard have been saying all week how well the horses have been going. The boys are doing a good job!" smiled O'Brien, who played a straight bat to questions regarding Galileo's Derby chance in the light of his current form.
"It's great that they're running well and the dream is still on but it is a day-to-day thing with horses and their health," he said. There is nothing wrong with Fantastic Light's health at the moment and the Godolphin favourite proved it with a battling defeat of Golden Snake in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, where the Breeders' Cup winner Kalanisi could only finish third.
"He is a very special horse and this year he should have a very big campaign in Europe. The King George and the Arc will be his big races and he will probably go for the Prince Of Wales Stakes at Ascot next," said the Godolphin spokesman Simon Crisford.
The O'Brien newcomer, Monarchoftheglen, got a 33 to 1 quote from Cashmans for the 2,000 Guineas next year after overcoming greenness to win the opener, but the 8 to 11 El Bueno could manage only a poor third to John Oxx's Pugin in the Silver Stakes.
