Gstaad Wins Irish 2,000 Guineas for Oddschecker and O'Brien

Gstaad won the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on 4-11 favoritism for oddschecker. The victory gave Aidan O'Brien his 12th win in the race and kept Gstaad's rise moving after his second at Newmarket.

Gstaad Controls The Curragh

Ryan Moore settled him into position before Gstaad took control from early leaders Alparslan and Power Blue when the field entered the final quarter mile. From there, he stretched clear and finished three lengths ahead of Distant Storm.

Pacific Avenue took third, leaving Gstaad well clear of the rest at the finish. Moore said, "He had a nice draw [eight] - he was sat out there on the wing, but he was comfortable. Nothing was able to get in his way and we kept it very uncomplicated,"

Ryan Moore Sees More To Come

Moore also said, "I just kept asking him to creep forward from halfway and he's got quite an extravagant stride and when able to use it, he's an impressive horse." The ride matched the race shape: once Gstaad found room to lengthen, the result was settled.

He added, "He did deserve that, he has been second a few times and has never run a bad race. Sometimes things went against him last year." That line fits the profile of a horse that had already shown enough to be a leading Classic player, and now has a Group 1 win to match it.

Aidan O'Brien's 12th Irish Guineas

Moore finished by saying, "He has come back and he is a big, 'scopey' horse and looks like he can progress further." For O'Brien, the record now sits at 12 victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, and Gstaad's clean win at the Curragh adds another major result to that tally.