A 40/1 outsider won the first Classic of the season, the QIPCO 2000 Guineas on Saturday (3 May).
Day of Thunder
The strong field of three-year-old colts at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile included short-priced favourite Kingman, Irish hope Australia, and Toormore, trained by Richard Hannon. Champion jockey Richard Hughes opted to ride Toormore, while the colt’s stablemate Night Of Thunder was mostly overlooked in the betting.
But with Kieren Fallon in the plate, a jockey who is enjoying somewhat of a career resurgence, Hannon’s outsider came out on top – despite a strange finish which saw Night Of Thunder veer left across the track in the closing stages.
French affair
Sunday saw the fillies take the stage in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, with the French raider Miss France (7-1) winning for jockey Maxime Guyon and trainer Andre Fabre.
Miss France had led from a furlong out and finished a neck in front of the strongly-finishing Lightning Thunder, who surged in front of Ihtimal to take second place.
Delighted
The French filly had only raced four times previously, winning twice – the first time at Newmarket in September – and finishing sixth and ninth in her other two starts.
“I trained the dam of the filly, and I couldn’t be more delighted,” said trainer Andre Fabre.
Fabre and Guyon enjoyed a double at Newmarket, having earlier won the Qatar Bloodstock Dahlia Stakes with Esoterique.