James Maxwell
Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-05-27
Two Coolmore Classics, one massive upset.
The 2026 Irish Guineas Festival weekend at the Curragh delivered three Group 1s, two Aidan O'Brien Classic wins, and the biggest favourite-flop of the spring. The two-day wrap, race-by-race:
| Day | Race | Winner | SP | Trainer / Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 23 May | Irish 2000 Guineas | Gstaad | 4/11F | A O'Brien / Ryan Moore |
| Sun 24 May | Irish 1000 Guineas | Precise | 7/4F | A O'Brien / Wayne Lordan |
| Sun 24 May | Tattersalls Gold Cup | Almaqam | 13/2 | Ed Walker / Kieran Shoemark |
Three editorial stories:
- Aidan O'Brien's Classic double — record-extending 13th Irish 2000G (Gstaad) + 12th Irish 1000G (Precise) in 24 hours. No British/Irish trainer has come close to this Curragh record.
- The Ryan Moore jockey-choice saga — Moore picked Precise at Newmarket (she flopped); switched to True Love at the Curragh (Lordan won on Precise). Two consecutive Coolmore Classics where the senior stable jockey was on the wrong filly.
- Almaqam's 13/2 Tattersalls Gold Cup upset — Ed Walker's first Tattersalls Gold Cup, Kieran Shoemark's biggest career G1, and a 9L beating for 4/6F Minnie Hauk. The world's highest-rated racemare flopped out of the placings.
The Curragh weekend reshapes four Royal Ascot ante-post markets (Coronation Stakes, Prince of Wales's, St James's Palace, King George VI) plus the Eclipse Stakes (Sandown, 4 July). Almaqam is now a Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's contender at 4/1-5/1; Precise is the Coronation Stakes question.
This piece walks through the three G1s, the form-line transfers, and what to watch through to the Coronation Cup (Friday 5 June) and the Epsom Derby weekend (5-6 June).
For full race reports see: Irish 2000G 2026 Result, Irish 1000G 2026 Result, Tattersalls Gold Cup 2026 Result.
The three Group 1s — race by race
Saturday 23 May — Irish 2000 Guineas (G1, 1m, 3yo c/g)
Gstaad (A O'Brien / R Moore, 4/11F) won by 3L from Distant Storm and Pacific Avenue (both Charlie Appleby / Godolphin). Per Sky Sports, the win was a "romp".
Three takeaways:
- Aidan O'Brien's 13th Irish 2000G, stretching the modern-era record across 29 years (Desert King 1997 → Gstaad 2026)
- The Newmarket form line confirmed: Bow Echo (Newmarket 1st) ranks one tier above Gstaad; Gstaad ranks well clear of the rest
- Royal Ascot SJP rematch with Bow Echo is the next chapter, Tuesday 16 June
Full race report: Irish 2000 Guineas 2026 Result.
Sunday 24 May — Irish 1000 Guineas (G1, 1m, 3yo fillies)
Precise (A O'Brien / W Lordan, 7/4F) won by 2½L from stablemate True Love (Ryan Moore). The pair traded fillies vs Newmarket — Moore was on Precise at Newmarket (7th) and switched to True Love at the Curragh (2nd). Lordan rode True Love at Newmarket (1st at 25/1) and switched to Precise at the Curragh (1st at 7/4F).
Three takeaways:
- Precise reversed the Newmarket form by 7½L in 21 days — a comeback proving the fever-scare narrative pre-Newmarket was real
- The Ryan Moore jockey-choice story — twice this spring Coolmore's senior jockey has picked the losing filly
- The Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes (Friday 19 June) is now a Coolmore rematch question; both fillies likely to declare
Per Racing Post's race report: "The market and Ryan Moore get it wrong as 'serious filly' Precise proves too good".
Full race report: Irish 1000 Guineas 2026 Result.
Sunday 24 May — Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1, 1m2½f, 4yo+)
Almaqam (Ed Walker / Kieran Shoemark, 13/2) won by 2L from Bay City Roller and Saddadd. 4/6F Minnie Hauk flopped to 5th, beaten 9L. The world's highest-rated racemare comprehensively out-stayed by Ed Walker's first-G1-of-the-year breakthrough.
Three takeaways:
- Ed Walker's first Tattersalls Gold Cup + Kieran Shoemark's career-best G1 ride
- Minnie Hauk's Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's prospects diminished — a 4/6F beaten 9L doesn't usually come back at the same trip
- Almaqam is now a Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's contender at 4/1-5/1 each-way, alongside defending Ombudsman
Per TDN's race report, Shoemark said: "The world is his oyster."
Full race report: Tattersalls Gold Cup 2026 Result.
The pattern across the weekend
Three of the four favourites at the Curragh weekend won (Gstaad 4/11F, Precise 7/4F) or near-won (True Love 11/10 → 2nd by 2½L) — but one heavyweight 4/6F flopped to 5th.
That's the 2026 spring favourite-flop pattern continuing:
- Time For Sandals 4/1F (Minster, 13 May) — 8th
- Amiloc 8/13F (Yorkshire Cup, 15 May) — 6th
- Rosallion 6/4F (Lockinge, 16 May) — out of top 5
- Minnie Hauk 4/6F (Tattersalls Gold Cup, 24 May) — 5th
Four short-priced favourites flopping in three weeks. The 2026 G1 market is not safe for backers of even-money or shorter prices. Each-way is the structural play across the next 6 weeks (Epsom Derby weekend, Royal Ascot, July King George).
Royal Ascot 2026 — what the Curragh weekend changed
St James's Palace Stakes (Tuesday 16 June, 1m, 3yo colts)
Bow Echo (G Boughey / Loughnane) at 7/4-2/1F defending + Gstaad (A O'Brien / Moore) at 9/4-5/2 is the new top-two. The Newmarket margin (2¾L) versus the Curragh margin (3L) suggests Bow Echo retains the form-line edge, but Gstaad's Curragh-confirmed quality removes the value gap.
The structural pick: Distant Storm (Appleby / Buick) at 4/1-5/1 each-way, after he ran 2nd at the Curragh and confirmed the Newmarket 3rd-place form line.
Coronation Stakes (Friday 19 June, 1m, 3yo fillies)
Precise (A O'Brien / Lordan, Irish 1000G winner) likely 6/4-2/1 alongside True Love (Moore, Newmarket winner). Both Coolmore-trained; both will likely run. Whichever Moore picks gets the senior-stable-jockey signal.
The structural pick: Evolutionist (K Burke) at 5/1-6/1 each-way as the chief non-Coolmore challenger; she was 2nd at Newmarket by 1¾L to True Love and has the form line to threaten the Coolmore pair at Royal Ascot.
Prince of Wales's Stakes (Wednesday 17 June, 1m2f, 4yo+)
Ombudsman (J & T Gosden) at 5/2-3/1 defending + Almaqam (Ed Walker / Shoemark) at 4/1-5/1 — the new market entrant. The Tattersalls Gold Cup form-line transfer is direct.
Minnie Hauk's Royal Ascot status is now uncertain. A 4/6F flop at 1m2½f doesn't read well for a 1m2f attempt at level weights against G1 colts. Coolmore likely re-route to the Pretty Polly (Curragh, 27 June) or step her up to 1m4f.
See The Fire (Balding / Murphy) at 12/1+ each-way — the back-to-back Middleton winner — is the structural value pick now that Minnie Hauk has dropped out of the conversation.
Gold Cup (Thursday 18 June, 2m4f, 4yo+)
No direct Curragh form-line transfer — Almaqam, Gstaad, Precise are middle-distance / mile horses. The Gold Cup market shape remains:
- Scandinavia (A O'Brien) 2/1F — Saval Beg-route
- Trawlerman (Gosden) 10/3 defending
- Sweet William (Gosden) 13/2
- Rahiebb (Varian) 7/1 — Yorkshire Cup winner, the each-way value pick
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Saturday 25 July, Ascot)
Almaqam is now a King George ante-post name at 6/1-8/1. The Tattersalls Gold Cup → King George conversion is approximately 1-in-3 historically. Walker / Shoemark are unlikely to skip the chance.
The King George ante-post ladder post-Curragh:
- Calandagan (Graffard, world #1-rated 2025) — assuming a 2026 return at full fitness
- Almaqam — new entry
- Coronation Cup winner (TBC, 5 June)
- Trawlerman — Gold Cup defender turned KG candidate
Eclipse (Saturday 4 July, Sandown)
Almaqam at 4/1-5/1 for the Eclipse is the post-Curragh ante-post value pick. Ombudsman defending 2025 win at 11/4-3/1. Calandagan if Graffard targets the Eclipse before the King George.
The all-of-the-above commercial summary
Six Royal Ascot G1 / Eclipse / King George markets reshaped in 48 hours. For ante-post bettors with the right form-line read, the next 7-10 days is the peak commercial window. The Royal Ascot ante-post page rolls all these into one view.
For the full Royal Ascot 2026 ante-post picture see our refreshed Royal Ascot 2026 ante-post page.
What's next — Pre-Derby week into Royal Ascot
Friday 30 May — 5-day declarations for the Epsom Classics
Final 5-day declarations for the Epsom Derby + Oaks close Friday 30 May. The Derby is jointly headed by:
- Benvenuto Cellini (A O'Brien) 5/1F — Chester Vase winner
- Item (A Balding / C Keane) 5/1-6/1 — Dante winner
- Christmas Day (A O'Brien) 8/1-10/1 — Dante 3rd
- James J Braddock (J O'Brien) 10/1-12/1 — Leopardstown Derby Trial winner
The Oaks is jointly headed by:
- Amelia Earhart (A O'Brien) 5/1-9/2F — Cheshire Oaks winner
- Legacy Link (J & T Gosden) 5/1 — Musidora winner
Friday 5 June — Coronation Cup (Epsom)
Jan Brueghel (A O'Brien) is the named Coolmore Coronation Cup runner. The race is a Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's pipeline — the Coronation Cup winner is the natural PoW contender alongside Ombudsman + Almaqam.
Saturday 6 June — Epsom Derby
The Derby is the year's most evenly-poised market in years. Item's Dante form + Benvenuto Cellini's Chester Vase form sit equally in the market; Christmas Day adds Coolmore depth.
Sunday 31 May — Prix du Jockey Club (Chantilly)
Hawk Mountain (A O'Brien) confirmed Prix du Jockey Club-bound from the Irish 2000G entry. The Chantilly G1 is the alternative Coolmore 3yo target before Royal Ascot.
16-20 June — Royal Ascot
The peak commercial window. The Curragh weekend transfers — Precise / True Love for the Coronation; Gstaad / Bow Echo for the SJP; Almaqam / Ombudsman for the PoW; Scandinavia / Trawlerman / Rahiebb for the Gold Cup — combine into the deepest single five-day G1 programme of the British year.
What we're tracking next
The next pieces in the pipeline:
- Coronation Cup 2026 preview refresh (race 5 June) — needs post-Curragh form-line update
- Royal Ascot 2026 ante-post page — refreshed today; refresh again post-Derby weekend
- Epsom Derby Festival Day-1 + Day-2 race-day previews — Coronation Cup + Oaks (Friday); Derby (Saturday)
For the Royal Ascot 2026 ante-post page see the dedicated ante-post coverage — refreshed today with the full post-Curragh weekend market shape.
Responsible note: The 2026 spring favourite-flop pattern is one of the strongest of recent years — Time For Sandals, Amiloc, Rosallion, Minnie Hauk all beaten at short odds. Each-way bets at G1 level are the smarter structural choice. Use small stakes, BeGambleAware.org.
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