Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas
Group 1, Curragh 15:35 €500,000 guaranteed, 3yo fillies only, 1m
Tweet Sunday 24th May 2026

At this stage of the spring, the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh is less a finished picture than a canvas beginning to take shape, and the current entries suggest a race defined by depth rather than a single, obvious focal point.

As ever, the hand of Aidan O’Brien is a prominent one. Ballydoyle’s battalion includes Precise, True Love, Diamond Necklace, Beautify, Composing, Moments Of Joy, Sugar Island, Signora, Simply Astounding and Venosa, a group that blends proven juvenile class with the potential for further progression. On bare figures, Precise and True Love set a clear standard, their ratings already brushing the level typically required to make a serious impact in a Classic of this nature.

Yet this is no one-yard affair. The British challenge looks particularly strong, with John Gosden and Thady Gosden responsible for a cluster of intriguing fillies in Asmeralda, Fashion People, Miss Scott and Nandita, each bringing a slightly different profile but all open to improvement at three. Charlie Appleby’s Abashiri adds further depth, while Andrew Balding’s pair Mubasimah and Pacific Mission have the look of fillies who could bridge the gap from useful to Pattern-class with natural progression.

Karl Burke, increasingly a force in these early-season contests, is also well represented. Aylin, Evolutionist, Hope Queen, Royal Fixation and Venetian Sun give him multiple angles into the race, with Venetian Sun’s progressive profile marking her down as one to monitor closely as the trials unfold.

France, too, is not without interest. André Fabre’s My Highness and the Graffard-trained Pintara and Valasara offer a reminder that the Curragh Classic often attracts a broader European dimension, particularly when the mile division lacks a standout.

Among the remainder, Calendar Girl, Fitzella, The Prettiest Star and Spicy Marg bring solid juvenile form into the equation, while a handful of lightly raced types — the likes of Blanc De Blanc, Felicitas and Silenciosa — sit in that more speculative category of horses yet to fully reveal their ceiling.

What is striking is the breadth of plausible contenders. There is, as yet, no definitive hierarchy, no single filly around whom the race revolves. Instead, the likely shape of the Irish 1,000 Guineas will be dictated by the next wave of evidence: the trials, the Guineas at Newmarket, and the quiet but telling clues from the gallops.

For now, it remains a race rich in possibility, its eventual narrative still waiting to settle into focus.

Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas
€500,000 guaranteed, 3yo fillies only, 1m
57 entries
Going:

(Form as of Mar 24)