Minding gets surprise call-up for Curragh

Minding was an easy winner of the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. Picture courtesy of Racingfotos.com

Minding will seek to follow up her brilliant win in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh on Sunday.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly was expected to head straight for another QIPCO British Champions showpiece, the Investec Oaks at Epsom in a fortnight, but instead features among a final field of 14 after Ballydoyle, her stablemate, was ruled out of the Curragh contest after returning an unsatisfactory blood test.

“It was a change of heart when Ballydoyle’s blood came in wrong this morning,” O’Brien said today. “Out of all the runners that we had done this morning, just the two of them were wrong, her and Vancouver.”

Minding will be joined by stable companions Coolmore, Californiadreaming and Pretty Perfect.

The two British-trained contenders are Kevin Ryan’s Ashadihan and Czabo from Mick Channon’s yard.

Tomorrow, Galileo Gold, trained by Hugo Palmer, will seek to follow up his QIPCO 2000 Guineas triumph in the Irish equivalent. Air Force Blue, an odds-on flop at Newmarket, will again be among his rivals.