Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas 3i526h
Group 1, Curragh 15:45
€500,000 guaranteed,
3yo fillies only, 1m   
Sunday 25th May 2025

135nu

Chris Hayes is relishing the prospect of partnering the unbeaten Swelter for Dermot Weld and Juddmonte, as the filly gears up for her first tilt at Classic company.

A daughter of Kingman, Swelter made a striking debut over a mile at Leopardstown last autumn, and returned with an authoritative display over seven furlongs in Group Three company—seeing off Exactly, who subsequently franked the form with a solid effort in the French equivalent.

“We’re still a few days out and I’ll get a feel for her during the week,” said Hayes. “We’ll be mindful of the weather, of course. But the trial’s form has really held up, and she’s a very exciting filly.”

Indeed, the depth of that Leopardstown trial has only grown, with multiple rivals from that day boosting the form since. Hayes added: “She was sharp dropping back to seven and quickened nicely off a strong pace. She ticks plenty of boxes.”

Swelter, then, stands poised—but a strong British contingent lies in wait.

Ollie Sangster keeps both Flight and Simmering in the mix, second and third respectively behind Duty First, who dazzled in the Fred Darling before faltering in the Guineas.

Unbeaten filly Atsila (by Phoenix of Spain) dazzled in the Group 3 Athasi Stakes at The Curragh on May 5 on just her 2nd start.

She quickened smartly through traffic to claim the prize in a manner that suggests even bigger days lie ahead. Trained by Donnacha O’Brien and now firmly on the radar for the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Atsila has emerged as a filly of genuine classic potential.

Bred by Paul and Elizabeth Duffy and secured by her trainer for €50,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale, she’s bred for the job too — a half-sister to Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes winner Layfayette, out of Scala Romana, herself a full-sister to the prolific Carolingian. This is a family with depth and durability, and Atsila appears to be its latest flagbearer.

Reflecting on the performance, O’Brien was candid in his post-race assessment:

“I spoke to Barry last week about putting her in the Coronation Stakes and talked him out of it. Clearly, I shouldn’t have,” he itted. “She’s lazy at home, so you don’t always know what you’ve got. She won impressively at Bellewstown from an impossible position, and we thought we'd roll the dice here — she’s handled it brilliantly.”

There were no hiding places in the Athasi — they went a proper gallop — and still she travelled like a filly with a future, navigating a squeeze for room in the straight before asserting late. Had the gaps come sooner, she may have won with even greater authority.

Now two-from-two, and with her sights potentially set on Group 1 company, Atsila is no longer under the radar. She’s a name for the notebook — and perhaps for the history books.

Aidan O’Brien retains four possibles from his powerful string, among them Lake Victoria, who caught the eye on her return at Newmarket after a standout juvenile campaign.

Royal Ascot scorer Bedtime Story, along with Exactly and January, add further depth, while Paddy Twomey has shown intent by supplementing the unexposed City of Memphis, a debut winner with scope to progress.

Adrian Murray may be double-handed with California Dreamer and Jaliyah, while Cercene and Tamam Desert complete a line-up brimming with potential.

Trainers Quotes

Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas
€500,000 guaranteed, 3yo fillies only, 1m
14 remaining entries
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places

NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 11 Atsila 3 9-2 Donnacha O'Brien
2 1155-6 Bedtime Story 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
3 47-104 California Dreamer 3 9-2 Adrian Murray
4 317-32 Cercene 3 9-2 Joseph G Murphy
5 1 City Of Memphis 3 9-2 P Twomey
6 123-19 Duty First 3 9-2 Archie Watson
7 331-24 Exactly 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
8 2133-2 Flight 3 9-2 Ollie Sangster
9 18-212 Jaliyah 3 9-2 Adrian Murray
10 13122- January 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
11 1111-6 Lake Victoria 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
12 124-73 Simmering 3 9-2 Ollie Sangster
13 1-1 Swelter 3 9-2 D K Weld
14 01-5 Tamam Desert 3 9-2 E J O'Neill

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