Horse Racing

Bethra Slays The Ladies In The Irish 1000 Guineas

The Etihad Airways Irish 1,000 Guineas narrowly missed a tie-finish, thanks to Weld-trained Bethra’s valiant last moment’s effort.

Yesterday’s race at the Curragh showcased such well-matched talent at the head of the field, it seemed hard to conceive that one of the leading ladies should manage to get ahead. Dermot Weld’s filly Bethra shared the lead with Anna Salai and Music Show when the race went into its last furlong.

While Anna Salai had been travelling best out of the leading trio, it was Bethra who found a gap by the rail and powered her way to one of the most narrow wins we recently had the pleasure to see. The three-year-old triumphed over Anna Salai and Music Show by a head and a neck – much to the delight of her connections, especially jockey Pat Smullen, who rode a remarkable race full of wise tactical decisions.

Aidan O’Brien’s Remember Me made a break for glory early on in the race but was blocked from success by the winning trio. The three-year-old filly made a close fourth, completing the crammed leader board for the 1,000 Guineas.

Although the suspense was at its finest at the front of the field, the rear included some genuine disappointments from promising contenders. Jim Bolger’s Gile Na Greine, seemed unable to find her way into the race and ended up 17th out of 19 runners at good odds. Other hopefuls, like Prendergast-trained Termagant and McBride’s Blue Maiden also ended up with worryingly low rank after waiting in vain for chances to join the game.

After one of the most exciting filly events in a long time, Bethra’s connections are cheerfully planning their heroine’s next moves. With a little luck we might get to see a repeat performance of this remarkable runner in the Coronation Stakes at Ascot, or perhaps the French Prix De Diane.