Love became the 49th filly to complete the 1000 Guineas / Oaks double with a record-breaking win at Epsom on Saturday.
With two of the Ballydoyle pacemakers going off at least 12 lengths clear of the pack by halfway, Ryan Moore was content to bide his time towards the rear until the turn for home.
With the pacemakers understandably puncturing early in the home straight the race changed complexion quickly and it was Love and Ryan Moor that came powering through, striking the front two furlongs out and going on to defeat Ennistymon by nine lengths with Frankly Darling third.
The time of 2:34.06 is a new race record bettering Enable’s 2:34.13 in 2017.
It is the third win in the Classic for Ryan Moore who told Racenews the daughter of Galileo was in exceptional form.
“I couldn’t have been happier with Love, and I don’t think she could have been any more impressive today,” Moore said.
“You never expect to win an Oaks – I don’t know how far she won by, but it felt like a very long way.
“She was exceptional today, and hopefully she has got plenty to look forward to in the future. She would be a threat to anything.
“She wasn’t stopping at all, she actually got down to the rail and picked up again. She was very impressive. She is very good, very very good.”
It is the eighth win in the race for Aidan O’Brien.
“We are delighted, obviously,” O’Brien said by phone from Ireland.
“Before the Guineas we were aware that it was a little bit short for her – we always thought she would get a mile and a quarter well, and obviously she is by Galileo and has a lovely, long, low action.
“As you see she is very genuine, sticks her head out and really tries very hard, so we were always hoping that the extra distance was going to improve her, and we were absolutely delighted with the result.
“Love is very special. It is very hard to say you would ever have a better filly than her; we saw what she did in the Guineas. I don’t know how far she won that by, three or four lengths, and she doubled it today, and it is only her second run of the year.
“We will wait and see what is next and the lads will decide that, but obviously the Irish Oaks is a possibility. We will see how she is over the next few days before we make any decisions, but that was always going to be a possibility.
“You would have to think about the Arc in the autumn. We know what three-year-old fillies can do in the Arc. We would definitely have to think about it. I guess it will all depend on how she comes out of today and whether she has a midsummer break now or gets in another run and has a break after that, but the Arc has to be a definite possibility.
“The St Leger comes three weeks or a month before the Arc, so would it be too tough for a filly to do that and then go on to the Arc? I don’t know, but I suppose we will see how she trains and what the lads want to do.”
The win in the Oaks makes Galileo the most successful sire in the history of the classics with 18 victories, one more than St Simon and Stockwell.