Precise and True Love lead O’Brien’s strong 1000 Guineas challenge

Precise and True Love stood at the centre of Aidan O’Brien’s 1000 Guineas plan, and the split inside Ballydoyle told the story of the race. Precise came in as the market leader at around 15/8 for the Betfred 1000 Guineas Stakes, a 19-runner Group 1 on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile, while True Love, the 2025 Cheveley Park Stakes winner, hovered at about 9/1 with the stalls in the centre and the going good to firm.

For O’Brien, the question was not simply which filly had the better form line. It was which profile fit a classic run in traffic. Precise brought the strongest course evidence, having won the Fillies’ Mile over the same mile at Newmarket, and Ryan Moore took the ride for the first time in her career. True Love arrived with speed and class of her own, after adding the Priory Belle Stakes to her Cheveley Park success, but O’Brien had already flagged the mile as an open question when he described her as “a big, pacey filly.” If this turned into a truly run Guineas, Precise looked the safer No. 1 hope.

That distinction mattered because the 1000 Guineas rarely rewards only reputation. Aidan O’Brien was chasing a record-extending 11th win in the race, his last coming with Minding in 2016, and the Irish yard had a second major card to play with Wayne Lordan staying aboard True Love after steering her to her Cheveley Park win. Moore’s switch to Precise suggested Ballydoyle viewed her as the filly most likely to settle into the rhythm of a big-field mile and finish the job at the end.

The opposition was serious enough to punish any hesitation. Karl Burke sent over Venetian Sun, around 7/1, after a Royal Ascot win and a Prix Morny triumph in 2025, and he said she had a good chance of staying the trip and that he would not be frightened of the opposition. Burke, who has won 21 Group 1 races, also expected her to improve from being beaten by Precise at the Curragh. His other runner, Evolutionist, had already shown herself in the Prix de la Grotte. Godolphin added further depth with My Highness, around 8/1, whom Andre Fabre said was blossoming and whose mile should suit, while Charlie Appleby’s Abashiri, about 14/1, came forward from a Craven gallop and was expected not to disgrace herself.

That made the Guineas more than a Ballydoyle duel. It was a first major sorting of the 2026 filly hierarchy, with The Prettiest Star, Touleen, Azleet and Rose Ghaiyyath filling out a field that could reshape the season’s mile and Oaks trails in one afternoon.