By Sean Cronin
Coolmore's twice-raced maiden True Love (No Nay Never) went down fighting when runner-up to G2 Coventry-winning stablemate Gstaad in the second of two starts last month and, hammered down to clear favourite for Wednesday's G2 Queen Mary Stakes, duly delivered a first renewal for Aidan O'Brien. She also restored family honour in the five-furlong dash and eclipsed her sister Truly Enchanting's 13th last year. The race was marred by the fatal injury to the Richard Hannon-trained Harry's Girl (Harry's Angel).
True Love broke swiftly from stall 25 of 25 and headed the stands' side group in an overall eighth as TDN Rising Star Zelaina (Mehmas) blazed a trail down the centre of the track. Making eyecatching headway into contention once leaving the quarter-mile pole behind, Ryan Moore galvanised his mount into seizing control passing the furlong marker and she kept on powerfully under a continued drive to hit the line with a 1 1/4-length advantage from Amo Racing's 100-1 outsider Flowerhead (Starman). Patrick Biancone trainee Lennilu (Leinster) made a dent for her freshman sire, and the Stateside team, and finished a half-length back on the better end of a three-way photo verdict for third.
The well-backed 9-4 chance had previously forced Lady Iman into pulling out all the stops, when runner-up to that subsequent G3 Naas Fillies Sprint winner, in the Curragh's Listed First Flier Stakes on debut.
“True Love had two very good runs, finishing second to a good filly the first time and then our own colt beat her the second time,” the trainer said. “Ryan [Moore] thinks she would be better when she steps up to six furlongs. She was drawn by herself and there was no pace where she was, so she had to do her own work. Ryan was excellent on her, he wasn't going to wait on anybody and the strongest part of her was the last half-furlong. When she got going, she really powered away. She is a big, mature, strong filly and is something to look forward to.”
Moore added, “She looked a different class to the others down at the start. She is a No Nay Never and they're usually big, strong, powerful, fast two-year-olds. She's got all that size, but she feels like she'll be better suited when she goes a bit further.”
Rookie conditioner Charlie Clover, trainer of 100-1 runner-up Flowerhead, was delighted with the performance of the Starman filly. “We are only a very small team, so to see her run such a big race like that is huge for us,” he said. “You come into every race wanting to win but, at 100/1, you have to check reality and see what's possible. We always liked the filly at home and to have the backing of Amo [Racing] is a massive boost. I started training in December, so going to a Group 2 with a two-year-old felt a bit far-fetched. We can think about the bigger picture now.”
Lennilu's trainer Patrick Biancone, supervising his first Royal runner since the days of Triptych in 1988, is eyeing some Surf 'n' Turf for the third home and commented, “She is only a baby and I liked the fact she fought back at the end, which means that she should stay further. She fought all the way. We will go home and give her a break now. The first plan was to try to win here with her and she is Group 2-placed now, which is good. She can have a little vacation and then we'll see her in Del Mar.”
Pedigree Notes
True Love is the third runner and black-type winner out of dual stakes-winning G1 Oaks third Alluringly (Fastnet Rock), who also produced G2 Kilboy Estate Stakes victrix Lily Pond (Galileo) and G2 Airlie Stud Stakes winner Truly Enchanting (No Nay Never). Alluringly is kin to G2 Debutante Stakes third Toogoodtobetrue (Oasis Dream) out of an unraced daughter of G3 Middleton Stakes-winning G1 Oaks runner-up All Too Beautiful (Sadler's Wells). All Too Beautiful is out of blue hen Urban Sea (Miswaki) while Toogoodtobetrue is the dam of G3 Eyrefield Stakes third Carlisle Bay (Galileo).
AIDAN O'BRIEN AND RYAN MOORE AGAIN! TRUE LOVE WINS THE QUEEN MARY STAKES! #ROYALASCOT pic.twitter.com/aBniVaoKpQ
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 18, 2025
Wednesday, Ascot, Britain
QUEEN MARY STAKES-G2, £150,000, Ascot, 6-18, 2yo, f, 5fT, :59.65, g/f.
1–TRUE LOVE (IRE), 128, f, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Alluringly (SW-Ire & G1SP-Eng, $154,308), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: All For Glory, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: All Too Beautiful (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Coolmore; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £85,065. Lifetime Record: SP-Ire, 3-1-2-0, $128,788. *Full to Truly Enchanting (Ire), GSW-Ire; and 1/2 to Lily Pond (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), GSW-Ire, $123,258. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Flowerhead (Ire), 128, f, 2, Starman (GB)–Tuileries Garden (Ire), by Champs Elysees (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (35,000gns Ylg '24 TATSOM; 35,000gns 2yo '25 TATBRE). O-Amo Racing Ltd; B-Tally-Ho Stud; T-Charlie Clover. £32,250.
3–Lennilu, 128, f, 2, Leinster–Lulu's Pom Pom, by Pomeroy. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. ($23,000 Ylg '24 OBSWIN). O-Bushnell Dunne Harrington Hoffman Miley; B-Helen Barbazon & Joseph Barbazon (FL); T-Patrick Biancone. £16,140.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, NO. Odds: 2.25, 100.00, 5.50.
Also Ran: Cardiff By The Sea (Ire), Staya (GB), Shine On Me (GB), Eskimo Pie (Ire), Zelaina (GB), Come On Eibhlin (Ire), Spicy Marg (GB), Revival Power (Ire), Society Kiss (GB), Love Olivia (GB), Justice Twice (Ire), Secret Hideaway (Ire), Paris Carver, Solana Rose (Ire), Guernsey Lady (Ire), Miss Yechance (Ire), Viamarie (GB), Social Exclusion (GB), Caitlin G (GB). Scratched: America (Ire), Eternal Solace (GB).
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