Looked an absolute picture in the parade ring, I was very taken by her. I didn't back her but Mrs Florida did . I wish I changed my mind for a change. I was very impressed with that performance .
I expect that the bookies are reasonably happy with the result of the 1000 Guineas because they saved their liabilities on the favourite and the Classic double even if O’Brien still won the race with one of his other runners, which looks to have been quite well supported. Doubtless there will be those sobbing over the bump that Rhodedendron got that forced Ryan Moore to get her rebalanced before finishing with a late rattle to snatch second from Raban in the shadow of the post; however, I thought Winter won fair and square as Wayne Lordan sat near the pace and went for home on the rising ground and I do not think that the favourite would have caught her today in a trouble-free race. When Rhodedendron won the Fillies’ Mile she looked like an Oaks horse so I expect her favouritism for that will have hardened. Although the winner is a Galileo filly, her dam was a sprinter so I would not be interested in her for Epsom. After the race Winter was walked around under the tree in the middle of the unsaddling area and a couple of people asked the stable-hand if they could have a photo with the grey filly. So he stopped and obliged them but this resulted in a number of other people asking for the same privilege, so as he walked her around he stopped for a photoshoot on every circuit to satisfy requests. This was very good of him because normally with the O’Brien horses they spend the minimum amount of time there and are quickly whisked away. I wondered whether he was going to have much chance of getting away before six o’clock because there were quite a lot of people asking! As it was he had gone by the time the winner of the following two year old race returned. I was surprised that Somehow won the Dahlia Stakes as she had not won on fast ground previously but clearly she handles it fine, although it was only a Group 2 race and the opposition were mostly only Group 3 quality. They showed the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial on the big screens at Newmarket and whilst it looked like Ballydoyle swept the places, I suspect that Douglas MacArthur was not the one that was supposed to win. I guess that will have confused the Derby betting a little...
