David Hayes-trained Irish Lights has won the Group 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield today. Favourite for the race, the bay filly was ridden by champion jockey Glen Boss, the hoop aboard the magnificent Makybe Diva for her three successive Melbourne Cup wins.

Irish Lights is proving herself to be the filly to watch this spring, having now won three of her five starts with sensational victories in the Sofitel Quality and Thousand Guineas Prelude.

Sydney filly Melito was runner-up just ahead of the Bart Cummings-trained Faint Perfume.

Irish Lights didn’t go through the usual Thousand Guineas preparations, with her Hall of Fame trainer Hayes deciding not to run her in the Edward Manifold Stakes. Instead, he has had his eye on larger prizes later at Flemington including the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) on Derby Day, which will be the next race in Irish Lights’ spring campaign. Next autumn she may be aimed at the Australian Guineas.

This was the second Thousand Guineas will for Hayes, having won with Miss Finland in 2006.