Cloonagh

After finishing second over six furlongs on her racecourse debut Cloonagh consisted the Selsey Stakes over the same distance at Goodwood Racecourse in July. She took the lead in the closing stages and won by a neck from the Dick Hern-trained Regatta, with a long gap back to the other runners. On her only other appearance of the year she ran well when finishing third in a nursery (a handicap race for two-year-olds) over seven and a half furlongs at Newbury in September.[4]

Cloonagh made little impact on her three-year-old debut when she finished sixth behind Caspian in the Nell Gwyn Stakes over seven furlongs on good to firm ground at Newmarket Racecourse in April. The ground was much softer when the filly was moved up in distance for the Pretty Polly Stakes over ten furlongs at the same track on 5 May. She recorded her first significant success as she won by half a length from Isteia (later to win the Lancashire Oaks) with Guest Night in third. The field for the Irish 1000 Guineas over one mile at the Curragh on 19 May was not particularly strong: Timeform described the race as the weakest of any classic race run in Britain, France or Ireland that year. The Bedford Guineas Trial winner Annerbelle started favourite ahead of Daria (Athasi Stakes) with Cloonagh, ridden by Greville Starkey the 7/1 third choice in a twelve-runner field. Cloonagh, who only British-trained challenger, raced prominently from the start and moved up to challenge for the lead approaching the final furlong. She broke clear of her rivals and won by two lengths from Annerbelle, with Desert Nyymph third and Lufar fourth.[2]

In the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, Cloonagh became very agitated before the start and ran poorly, finishing eighth of the nine runners behind Jacinth. The filly was off the course until September when she was matched against male opposition in the Valdoe Stakes over ten furlongs at Goodwood. She finished sixth to the colt So Royal, to whom she was conceding 17 pounds in weight.