Trained by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, Gleneagles claimed his second Classic by three-quarters of a length as a firm favourite despite the surface being softer than ideal.
"He didn't have a lot of room, but he had the gears and the class to go
through," said Moore. "He put his head down and fought well at the end, he's a
very exciting colt. I thought I was on the best horse, and when you are on the
best horse the gaps invariably come."Although Gleneagles remained in the Group I Epsom Derby at this week's forfeit stage, connections reported that at present the Group I St James's Palace Stakes over a mile at Royal Ascot remains a more likely target.
"I've always thought he was a miler and we haven't had a miler like him in a while, he's strong and quickens very well. He's never had to show the kind of courage before that he showed today," said trainer Aidan O'Brien. "The Curragh is a tough mile in that ground and it was very borderline whether he ran.
"I'm delighted with him. He travelled and quickened well and Ryan gave him a great ride. He had to come when he came and he was courageous. He has a load of pace, as he showed at Newmarket, and might have laboured a bit on that ground. He has a big heart as well as everything else.
"He had to be courageous today. He wanted it. You can't test them for that. He had to fight for three furlongs and in the last half-furlong Ryan said 'come on, I need you again'."
Joint-owner John Magnier was full of praise for the beautifully-related colt, who has the overall record of six wins from eight starts.
"You have to pinch yourself when you get something like this," said Magnier. "He seemed to be in trouble but he's a cool customer and one thing this horse has is gears. He has a turn of foot and Ryan was able to get him out of trouble. You probably saw the real horse at Newmarket, when ground conditions were more in his favour. That's the difference between the two runs."
Gleneagles is a full brother to Group I winner Marvellous and is the second winner for Group II winning Storm Cat mare You'resothrilling, a full sister to Coolmore's champion racehorse and sire Giant's Causeway.
Giant's Causeway was second in the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas races before going on to be European Horse of the Year in 2000.
