A true blueblood - how 1,000 Guineas heroine Hermosa was bred

This year's Qipco 1,000 Guineas heroine Hermosa encapsulates the best of Coolmore breeding, being as she is by the operation's phenomenal sire Galileo and out of one of the many high-class racemares turned brilliant producers in their broodmare band.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained filly – placed in three Group 1 races at two, the Moyglare Stud Stakes, Fillies' Mile and Criterium International – gained a deserved top-level success by making all the running and repelling the strong-travelling Lady Kaya to land the fillies' Classic.

In doing so, she became a 76th Group/Grade 1 winner for Galileo, who is rapidly closing in on Danehill's record of 84 notched worldwide.

View result and watch race replay

Hermosa is the third winner of the 1,000 Guineas for Galileo after Minding and Winter, while other daughters Alice Springs, Ballydoyle, Happily, Maybe, Rhododendron and Together have also achieved podium finishes in the race.

All those fillies were saddled by O'Brien for Coolmore partners, which serves to illustrate the awesome strength of the owner-trainer-sire partnership.

Galileo, who is covering his 18th book of mares at a private fee at Coolmore this year, also made his presence felt in the 2,000 Guineas on Saturday, as damsire of winner Magna Grecia.

A generous share of the credit for Hermosa's talent has to go to her dam, Beauty Is Truth, however.

Bred and raced by Kilfrush Stud, the daughter of Pivotal was trained by Robert Collet to win three races at or around the minimum trip – the Listed Prix Yacowlef on debut, the Prix d'Arenberg and the Prix du Gros-Chene.

BEAUTY IS TRUTH FACTFILE

Pedigree 15yo bay mare Pivotal-Zelding (Warning)

Breeder Kilfrush Stud

Owner Coolmore

Race record won three of 12 starts, viz Prix Yacowlef-LR, Prix d'Arenberg-G3, Prix du Gros-Chene-G2

Progeny record dam of five winners inc The United States (Ranvet S-G1), Hydrangea (Matron S-G1, British Champion Fillies & Mares-G1), Hermosa (1,000 Guineas-G1)

Beauty Is Truth has been bred from at stud by Coolmore and after producing her first foal in 2009, the Dansili filly Fire Lily, she has been mated exclusively with Galileo as the sort of fast, precocious mare the organisation has sought out to send to their multiple champion sire to complement the stamina bound up in his pedigree and racing profile.

Three of those Galileo-Beauty Is Truth offspring have now struck at the highest level. The nine-year-old The United States, a Group 3 winner for O'Brien, took the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill after being sold to be trained in Australia by Robert Hickmott, while the five-year-old Hydrangea won the Matron Stakes and British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes for Ballydoyle.

Beauty Is Truth was not far from having four Group 1 winners to her name as Fire Lily, a three-time Group 3 winner, finished second in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Prix Marcel Boussac.

Beauty Is Truth is dam of five winners in total and her two-year-old filly by Galileo has been named Salsa. She also has a yearling filly by the sire.

She hails from a deep Kilfrush family as a half-sister to Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up and Prix de Diane third Glorious Sight, out of the Group 3-winning sprinter Zelding.

Zelding is a half-sister to champion three-year-old sprinter Zipping and Prix du Petit Couvert winner Nipping, and is out of Zelda, a winning daughter of Caerleon and Kilfrush foundation mare Mill Princess.

Mill Princess featured as dam of Last Tycoon and granddam of Immortal Verse, both Kilfrush-bred and raced champions. Other descendants include the Pouliches winners Tie Black and Valentine Waltz.

Another part of the Hermosa success story is Pivotal's prowess as damsire. Her victory at Newmarket made her the 19th Group/Grade 1 winner out of a daughter of the Cheveley Park Stud stalwart.

Galileo has been responsible for five of those 19, with Magical and Rhododendron completing the group along with Hydrangea and The United States.

Hermosa may boast an exclusive background but runner-up in the 1,000 Guineas, Lady Kaya, gave more hope for breeders and owners without bottomless pockets.

The Sheila Lavery-trained filly is by Ballyhane Stud flagbearer Dandy Man, conceived when the stallion stood at just €6,500 (up to €12,500 for 2019), and was bred by John O'Connor out of Kayak, a Listed-placed daughter of Singspiel bought for 33,000gns at the end of her racing career.

Originally a €15,000 Goffs November Foal Sale purchase, Lady Kaya was recorded as a vendor buyback at €12,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale of 2017.

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