Richard Hughes celebrates winning the 1,000 Guineas on Sky Lantern (left)
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
Lantern shines brightly in 1,000 Guineas victory
Report: Newmarket, Sunday
Qipco 1,000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1) 3yo, fillies, 1m
TWENTY-FOUR hours after suffering Guineas disappointment on Toronado champion jockey Richard Hughes secured a triumphant first British Classic as Sky Lantern edged out Just The Judge close home to win the 1,000 Guineas.
The Richard Hannon-trained filly came from deep to bear down on the the leaders, hitting the front with only moments to spare.
“It’s about time!” said an emotional Hughes. “I believed in this filly and she came good. She is a very good filly who loves fast ground and she deserves this. They didn’t go over fast and it was all about getting her plenty of cover.”
Newmarket Result, 05 May 2013. QIPCO 1000 GUINEAS STAKES (THE 200TH RUNNING) (BRITISH CHAMPIONS SERIES) (GROUP 1) (FILLIES)
- (Class 1) (3yo) 1m Good To Firm
- £241,584.60, £91,590.00, £45,837.60, £22,833.60, £11,459.40, £5,751.00
| HORSE/SP | AGE | WGT | TRAINER/JOCKEY | OR | TS | RPR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « |
17 |
Sky Lantern (IRE) 9/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Richard Hannon | 111 | * | * | ||
| Richard Hughes | ||||||||||
| « |
213 |
½ | Just The Judge (IRE) 7/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Charles Hills | 107 | * | * | |
| Jamie Spencer | ||||||||||
| « |
311 |
1½ | Moth (IRE) 9/1 | 3 | 9-0 | A P O’Brien | — | * | * | |
| Joseph O’Brien | ||||||||||
| « |
42 |
nse | Winning Express (IRE) 33/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Ed McMahon | 104 | * | * | |
| Franny Norton | ||||||||||
| « |
515 |
nk | Snow Queen (IRE) 20/1 | 3 | 9-0 p | A P O’Brien | 100 | * | * | |
| Ryan Moore | ||||||||||
| « |
610 |
shd | Maureen (IRE) 16/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Richard Hannon | 106 | * | * | |
| Olivier Peslier | ||||||||||
| « |
712 |
2 | What A Name (IRE) 7/2 | 3 | 9-0 | M Delzangles | 111 | * | * | |
| Christophe-Patrice Lemaire | ||||||||||
| « |
85 |
¾ | Masarah (IRE) 100/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Clive Brittain | 95 | * | * | |
| Frederik Tylicki | ||||||||||
| « |
914 |
½ | Hot Snap 5/2F | 3 | 9-0 | Sir Henry Cecil | 113 | * | * | |
| Tom Queally | ||||||||||
| « |
103 |
8 | Roz 33/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Harry Dunlop | 104 | * | * | |
| Jim Crowley | ||||||||||
| « |
119 |
2¼ | Agent Allison 25/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Peter Chapple-Hyam | 103 | * | * | |
| William Buick | ||||||||||
| « |
121 |
nk | Ollie Olga (USA) 40/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Mick Channon | 104 | * | * | |
| Martin Harley | ||||||||||
| « |
136 |
3½ | Celtic Filly (IRE) 100/1 | 3 | 9-0 | E J O’Neill | 89 | * | * | |
| Mickael Barzalona | ||||||||||
| « |
144 |
29 | Rasmeyaa (IRE) 9/1 | 3 | 9-0 | D K Weld | — | * | * | |
| Pat Smullen | ||||||||||
| « |
158 |
10 | Diaminda (IRE) 50/1 | 3 | 9-0 | Alan Jarvis | 99 | * | * | |
| Paul Hanagan | ||||||||||
1st OWNER: B Keswick BRED: Tally-Ho Stud TRAINER: Richard Hannon
2nd OWNER: Qatar Racing Limited & Sangster Family
3rd OWNER: Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith
TOTE toteswingers 1&2 £9.20, 1&3 £12.10, 2&3 £9.80 WIN £10.00 PL £2.70, £3.40, £3.10; Ex £92.50; CSF £65.37; TRICAST £603.44 TRIFECTA £597.80 Pool: £15,975.31 – 20.04 winning units.
For the Hughes and Hannon camps the victory was surely all the sweeter coming in the wake of 2,000 Guineas second-favourite Toronado’s unexpectedly lacklustre race on Saturday, when he finished fourth behind winner Dawn Approach after running out of steam in the final furlong.
“We were very disappointed after yesterday,” said Richard Hannon jnr, the assistant trainer. “She deserved a bit of luck and we are absolutely delighted. I am delighted for Hughsie, he deserves it. He is one of the best jockeys ever and I am pleased that he is one of mine.”
Just The Judge was a desperately close second for trainer Charlie Hills and Qatar Racing supremeo Sheikh Fahad al-Thani, who is also responsible for Guineas and British Champions Series sponsors Qipco and has spoken publicly about his desire to win this race above all others.
For much of the final furlong it looked as if the previously-unbeaten filly would realise his dream, travelling like the best horse and picking up the lead with almost insouciant ease before being caught on the threshold of victory.
Richard Hughes: first Classic win
PICTURE: Patrick McCann
“She ran well. She ran her heart out. She came there to win the race, got to the front looking like the winner,” said Sheikh Fahad.
“Hughsie rode a great race but if we’d had time to see his filly we might have battled back. I’m pretty confident we can change the outcome next time.”
Third place went to the Aidan O’Brien-trained Moth, who didn’t enjoy a particularly clear passage under trainer’s son Jospeh but was motoring at a tremendous rate close home.
“I had to wait to get a run through,” said the jockey. “When I asked her to quicken she just took a bit longer than I expected to respond.”
Given how much ground Moth made up the performance looked a prime indicator of a likely sort for the Investec Oaks, but O’Brien jnr implied the filly might not be favoured by Epsom’s pronounced camber. “I think she’ll be better on a more even track [than Newmarket],” he said. Nevertheless, William Hill, Paddy Power and Coral reported heavy support for Moth and cut her to 7-2 (Hills) and 4-1 (Coral, Paddy) for the Oaks.
Sec0nd-favourite What A Name, representing the French connections of Mikel Delzangles and jockey Christophe Lemaire, travelled well but failed to pick up when asked and came home one-paced in seventh.
The 5-2 favourite Hot Snap, by contrast, was labouring even by halfway and finished ninth. She was well-backed following her Nell Gwyn victory last month, when among the horses she comfortably defeated was Sky Lantern.
It was testament to the skill of Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes that the tables were turned so spectacularly when the two horses met again.
fonte: RacingPost
