Elmalka`s first victory in the Qipco 1000 Guineas
Elmalka won the Qipco 1000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket, giving Roger Varian his first victory, and she flew home to break French hearts.
The daughter of Kingman was once again putting in her best work late, stepping up to a mile under the guidance of former champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa. She had finished quickly in third place in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury on just her second start.
When Aurelien Lemaitre started to make a run for home in the final 50 yards, French raider Ramatuelle appeared to have sealed the deal for Christopher Head. However, the 9-2 second favourite turned useless as the chasers closed in on her. Elmalka finished the strongest of all to strike at odds of 28-1, with Donnacha O'Brien's Porta Fortuna coming through for second.
In addition to marking Varian's first Classic on his home patch, Brazilian De Sousa celebrated his comeback season to UK racing with a first British Classic.
Varian said: “It’s not a surprise because I wouldn’t have run her if I didn’t think she’d run well, but you don’t come into these races thinking you’re going to win. She ran a big race at Newbury and she was green as grass. Credit to James Doyle as he gave her a super ride that day, he got an education into her and she finished strong. I felt in another 100 yards she might have been a length and a half winner as she was just taking off. We weren’t set on running in the Guineas that day, but the turnaround in the filly in the last fortnight has been quite incredible. She looked fantastic and she’d worked well. I was in two minds whether to run her as I wanted to do the right thing by the filly, but that’s why we’re here right, to have a go.”
He continued: “I was thinking at halfway we weren’t really handling the track, but the further we went I thought she was coming into it, in the dip I thought we’d get a place and in the final 100 yards I did think we’d get there. It’s very special to train a Guineas winner for Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, who has supported me all my career and supported Michael Jarvis before me. She’s a homebred filly out of Nahrain, who was my first Group One winner in the first year I trained, winning the Prix de l’Opera.”
De Sousa said: “I’ve been riding nice horses in the morning for Roger and in the afternoon as well and I’m just delighted with the opportunities that have been given to me. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes and I’m still able to do it. I’ve just been working hard and said we’d see how the season goes. She’s still a bit green and inexperienced, but she ran a good race at Newbury and she’s just learning. She’s really tough and game.”