Aidan O’Brien often ends up being champion trainer on both sides of the Irish Sea and that’s because he always has an abundance of talent in all the age groups. He has another strong crop of three-year-olds for 2025 and one of the best is Lake Victoria.
She was awesome at two, winning three Group 1s over trips from 6f to a mile, and there’s every chance she’s going to be top class in 2025. O’Brien’s filly is set to take her chance in Sunday’s Irish 1000 Guineas, so we’re going to take a close look at her profile. A number of Irish betting sites are offering betting on the race.
Immediate success
Lake Victoria made her debut in a 7f maiden at the Curragh in June and she showed a good attitude to hold off Red Letter and the front two were clear of the rest. The runner-up is a very smart filly in her own right and was deemed good enough to line up in the 1000 Guineas.
Group 3 success then followed and she showed massive improvement from her debut, as most Ballydoyle juveniles tend to. She was keen enough in the early stages but that made little difference as she successfully made all the running to score by two lengths.
Three-time Group/Grade 1 winner
A trio of top-level victories then followed and the Moyglare Stud over 7f was the first of them. The form has worked out noticeably well as the third went on to win a Group 3 in good style and the runner-up was third in the 1000 Guineas earlier this month.
Lake Victoria was then dropped in trip to contest the Cheverley Park Stakes over 6f at Newmarket and she produced a devastating display to bolt up by three lengths, with her proven stamina coming in handy on the soft ground.
Probably the most impressive aspect of her achievement was the fact that all three wins came within a 16-day period.
A trip to America was next on the agenda and she managed to come out on top once again, this time in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Lacking sharpness on seasonal debut
Connections decided to start her off in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, where she had already won twice, but it was obvious that she was nowhere near full fitness. That being said, she wasn’t beaten all that far back in sixth.
She got outpaced approaching the two-furlong pole, which was indicative of her lack of sharpness, and failed to finish with her usual zest.
You would imagine that she’ll leave that run well behind her and we can expect significant improvement at the Curragh.
Can she return to winning ways at the Curragh?
O’Brien’s filly heads the market for the Irish 1000 Guineas and it’s very easy to see why.
There’s every reason to believe she can take a step forward and get back on track, but it will be a difficult test, with some smart fillies potentially lining up against her.
Dermot Weld’s Swelter remains unbeaten in two starts and having won a Group 3 on seasonal debut, she retains a significant amount of potential.
Ollie Sangster could run the two fillies who finished second and third at Newmarket and they warrant obvious respect.
O’Brien has won four of the last 10 renewals of this race and no one would be surprised if Lake Victoria was to add to his tally of 10 overall successes.
