Nightime Puts Guineas Rivals to Sleep

Nightime gave trainer Dermot Weld and his mother, Marguerite, the thrill of a lifetime when she stormed home a six-length winner of the Boylesports Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) at The Curragh on Sunday.

Jockey Pat Smullen sent the chestnut filly to the front with just over a furlong left to run. The daughter of Galileo responded to Smullen's urgings to draw clear of 50-1 outsider Ardbrae Lady. The Aidan O'Brien-trained duo of Queen Cleopatra and Race For The Stars finished third and fourth, respectively. Longtime leader and race favorite, Confidential Lady, weakened late in the race and finished sixth.

Dermot Weld was understandably in good spirits after the victory, since the homebred filly carried the colors of his mother. Mrs. Weld is also the breeder and co-owner of champion Grey Swallow. That colt recently won the Jim Murray Memorial Handicap (gr. IIT) in his first start in the United States.

"It is a very special day for me; I thought that when Grey Swallow won the Derby that was the best day's racing of my life, but this certainly equals it," Weld told reporters. He continued, "My mother has always believed in the filly. I wanted to sell her as a yearling but she wouldn't let me, as she thought she was special, and she has been proven right. She is in her 90th year this year and this is lovely for her. We also have the dam, and my mother only has six mares, but has a pretty good strike rate with those six."

With her win in the One Thousand Guineas, Nightime completed an impressive classic double for Coolmore Stud stallions. Mull of Kintyre sired Araafa, the winner of Saturday's Boylesports Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-I). Both Araafa and Nightime hail from their sires' first crops.