4 May. GB. Stanjamesuk.com One Thousand Guineas. G1. Newmarket. 8f. Turf. 375.000 £
1.- NATAGORA (C.Lemaire)
2.- SPACIOUS (J.Spencer)
3.- SAOIRSE ABU (K.Manning)


NATAGORA laid to rest the ghost of a cruel defeat five years ago when she spirited the Classic prize Six Perfections should have claimed into the grateful arms of trainer Pascal Bary yesterday.

The painful memory of jockey Thierry Thulliez's foul-up on the champion miler was erased after the grey daughter of Divine Light clinched the Stanjamesuk.com 1,000 Guineas from the front.

French efforts on the Rowley Mile have been memorable for as many disasters as triumphs, but yesterday Christophe Lemaire ensured there was never a chance of any trouble for the 11-4 favourite, owned by Swede Stefan Friborg and a first Gallic triumph in the race since Hatoof in 1992.

With no-one prepared to make the running and knowing his mount would break well from the stalls, he took a bold course, guiding the filly across the track on to the stands' rail.
Leading throughout the last three-quarters of a mile, Natagora quickened over a furlong out and ran on too gamely for Spacious, Saoirse Abu, Infallible and the luckless Nahoodh.

Bary said: "Natagora is very brave and moves very well. I was quite confident after the Imprudence, when she got seven furlongs in the mud, that she would stay. We'd have preferred to have two or three in front of us, but not only has she speed, she is very good. I thought these English fillies were faster than her.
"She's in the Irish Guineas, but the way she won today, maybe she needs a bit of time. She's done all the work over one mile like that. Maybe she needs a bit of rest. She will tell us. She's done everything well and I don't want to do anything wrong."

Recalling Six Perfections' defeat, he added: "This is different. Six Perfections was very unlucky, but she went on to win Jacques le Marois and the Breeders' Cup, so we forgot a bit about that. Today was another race. Six Perfections had to wait behind, but this filly can go all the way."

Bary's hopes could not have been in safer hands than those of Lemaire, 29, whose record at Newmarket now stretches to an extraordinary five Group 1s, including back-to-back successes in the Champion Stakes.

But winning a British Classic was special. "Of course I love Newmarket," he said. "I've had some big winners in this place. I cannot explain it. Every time I ride good horses things go all right, so I'm very happy.
"My job was to get to the rail without making too much effort, and once we were on the rail she did the job. She kept going, she kept fighting."

Spacious, in the colours of Six Perfections' conqueror Russian Rhythm, was gaining on Natagora and crossed the line half a length down on her first start since September. Immediately ruled out of an Juddmonte Oaks challenge, she was introduced at 3-1 for the Boylesports Irish 1,000 Guineas by the sponsors.

Trainer James Fanshawe said: "She ran very well and she just needed a stronger pace. She'll not be going up in trip and is not a mile-and-a-half filly. It was always the plan to come straight here."

Saoirse Abu, a half-length further behind, made a creditable bid for another 1,000 Guineas for last year's winning trainer Jim Bolger, who also saddled Lush Lashes to be in the money in sixth.
"I'm very pleased with both of them," he said. "With another furlong Saoirse Abu might have got there, and Kerrin McEvoy said Lush Lashes could have done with further. Did I run them over the wrong trip? They just needed a bit more real estate!"

John Gosden said Infallible had been undermined by the way the race was run. "It is unfortunate both Guineas have been run up the stands' side, whereas in the other races they've come down the middle. It becomes messy when they're all towards the rail.
"Infallible got a bump at halfway that set her alight and she pulled a bit hard, which she paid the price for. The winner deserved to win. She had the best form."