QIPCO 1000 Guineas report, reaction and free video replays of Newmarket Classic

Prominent throughout up the middle of the track in the hands of Oisin Murphy, last year's Cheveley Park Stakes third Mawj (9/1), who had prepped for the spring with two wins out in Dubai through the winter, looked to have a serious fight on her hands as Chris Hayes and Tahiyra laid down their challenge entering the dip.

The ensuing scrap was enthralling to watch but the daughter of Exceed And Excel kept digging in testing conditions to hold on and deny Dermot Weld's filly by half a length.

Matilda Picotte had led up the group more towards the far side rail and she eventually held on for third some seven and a half lengths behind the front two at odds of 33/1, while 25/1 chance Caernarfon was fourth and Dance In The Grass fifth at 200/1.

The victory of Mawj was a second Classic success for the jockey, while it also represented a return to the big-race winner’s enclosure for the popular Bin Suroor, whose last Classic victory came in the 2009 St Leger.

The winner was cut to 6/4 for the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot by Betfair Sportsbook.

Bin Suroor said: "I think this my 195th Group One winner around the world. The filly had been doing good before the race. She is a tiny filly but she has a big heart. She is a Group Two winner and is unbeaten in Dubai. I talked to Sheikh Mohammed before we ran her in Dubai over a mile as what you see in her pedigree, being by Exceed And Excel, there is plenty of speed, but we tried her over the mile and she won it well in Dubai. I talked to Sheikh Mohammed before we declared her and he agreed to run her. It was a great decision from him and the filly has won well so we are happy with her.

“Charlie (Appleby) and myself are a good team. He worked for me for a long time and he has become one of the best trainers now. We are good friends.

“We will keep the options open as I want to see how she comes back after the race but she is entered in the French Guineas, but that is too close, and she is also in the Irish Guineas. We will talk to Sheikh Mohammed and make a decision in a week or two.

“It means a lot as it has been a long time since we won a Classic race in England. It means a lot to myself, Godolphin and the sport also. It has taken us a long time to win another 1000 Guineas.

“When we started we had very good horses in those days but recently things have been slow with the quality of horses but luckily when I saw this filly start to work, despite her being tiny, she showed her class.

“We ran her in Group races last year and she managed to win one in England then we stepped her up to a mile in Dubai and she won the Jumeirah Fillies Guineas well.

“We talked to Sheikh Mohammed and he let her run in the Guineas today and Oisin gave her a good ride. She has a big heart and I thought she was going to win when they were close.

“I thought she would do well as her last two pieces of work here in Newmarket were brilliant. It is a great boost for the stable and everybody at the yard will be really happy.”

Former champion Murphy – who this season has returned to the saddle following a 14-month riding ban – said: “Running Lion was so impressive earlier so I was full of confidence riding her. I’ve had so many important days (with Saeed) with the likes of Royal Marine and Benbatl.

"He is a huge supporter and thanks to his team and him for giving me the leg up. I’m super relieved really as I thought I had a horse good enough to win. I was watching her replays again this morning for the fifth time. I was thinking did she really win eight and a half lengths last time out in Meydan, and why did she win so easily. She is clearly just exceptional. Tahiyra is top class, we think, as her win in the Group One in Ireland last year was phenomenal and it was miles back to the rest of the field today.

"I thought I had a really good chance when I was booked for her then I wasn’t sure with the rain and how she would cope with this ground. The word from Saeed Bin Suroor and his team was that she was in incredible shape and it was brilliant to be part of it.

“They are two top class fillies. It is lovely to see a Classic like that when they go clear and show their class. She travelled so well through the race. She never pulled. Even going to post she was asleep. I got out well and had loads of options and I just got her into a rhythm in a straight line. It was very uncomplicated.

“She travelled into the Dip and then it was just about keeping her going.

“I had four full race days with lots of chances (without a winner) until Teumessias Fox won yesterday then Running Lion won earlier but this is a different level.

“This is beyond my wildest dreams. I had a really good start back thanks to lots of different trainers supporting me, particularly Andrew Balding, and George Boughey who put me on Missed The Cut on a big day in Saudi Arabia. Just to get back in the big races with a crowd here it is a great feeling.

“I think she has lots of class. That was a true test on holding ground. I hit the line as well as Tahiyra so I would be very hopeful that she can be dominant at a mile.

“They (all my big race successes) mean a lot. Even my first winner back meant an awful lot. I’ve realised, particularly as I’ve got older, that these top class horses are super hard to find. There were 20 connections there thinking they had a chance of winning the QIPCO 1000 Guineas and there can only be one winner so you have got to savour the moment when you get those victories."

WHAT THE PLACED CONNECTIONS SAID

Dermot Weld, Tahiyra

"If you're seven and a half lengths clear of the third it's a very good Guineas. She's run a super race, she is very talented and has a lot of speed it was just that her speed was nullified slightly by the ground.

“We were a bit in the dark about the ground beforehand as she has a lot of pace and it has just took the real speed off her. She quickened but as much as we know she can. We were about two weeks behind with her which is why I've never won the English 1,000 Guineas, whereas I've won the Irish 1,000 Guineas first time out five times.

“She's run massive in what they say is a good time. We'll have a look at the Irish Guineas but we'll see how she comes out of this before we make any definite decisions. We had another filly, Tarawa, finish second in an Irish Guineas trial at Leopardstown this afternoon and she could also be in the mix."

Thomas McGrath, syndicate spokesman for the owners of Matilda Picotte, said : "I turned up here today expecting her to win but we're far from disappointed. Everyone was writing her off but she deserved to be here and she's a good horse.

“She did all the donkey work up the middle and I'm not surprised it was a quick time. Hopefully she could come back over for the Commonwealth Cup as she is not short of speed and we also may have a look at the Coronation Stakes."

WHAT THE BEATEN JOCKEYS SAID

Joe Fanning, Dance In The Grass

“She ran a great race, I just got lost a bit halfway. She stayed on very well and is crying out for extra trip.”

Ryan Moore, Meditate

“She ran respectably. The ground wouldn’t have been in her favour.”

David Egan, Olivia Maralda

“I was pleased with the way she ran and I think she’ll be a better filly on top of the ground. I thought she was going to be fourth best the last two furlongs, but being on that tacky ground on the last couple of hundred yards up the hill caught her out. She’s a tough filly.”

Frankie Dettori, Lezoo

“We tried but we’ll go back to sprinting.”

Mickael Barzalona, Queen Me

“She ran well, she probably didn’t stay.”

Daniel Muscutt, Embrace

“She relaxed really nicely and ended up with a great position behind Tahiyra. We hit a bit of a flat spot midway through but came home good up the rising ground. We might step up in trip.”

Kevin Stott, Mammas Girl

“Just got stuck in the mud a bit.”

William Buick, Dream Of Love

“She’s quite inexperienced still. She did finish in midfield so it wasn’t a bad run and I think the ground is very testing out there, so I’d like to see him back on some decent ground really.”

Andrea Atzeni, Stenton Glider

“We got a nice pitch in the race and she travelled into it. I think on that sticky, holding ground she just struggled to pick up.”

Billy Loughnane, Sweet Harmony

“It was a good run. Me and Spence (Richard Spencer) thought we’d try something (and race on the near side) as it hadn’t been raced on for the last few days. It probably didn’t pay off in the end, but she’s run well and she’ll be putting her head in front soon. That was a class experience. It’s amazing the speed they go in those races! She’s run a cracker.”

Rob Hornby, Remarquee

“That was a bit disappointing. I’m not too sure why she ran poorly, but she settled into a good rhythm and I followed who I wanted to. She was in trouble a long way out. We’ll make sure she’s alright, she might have bounced from Newbury.”

Rossa Ryan, Karsavina

“She didn’t handle the ground.”

Kieran Shoemark, Naomi Lapaglia

“I was in trouble three furlongs from home.”

Jim Crowley, Polly Pott

“I was beaten at halfway.”

James Doyle, Fairy Cross

“I was never really at the races today. I didn’t really travel, obviously it was different ground conditions today so we’ll draw a line through it and go again.”

Sean Levey, Powerdress

“Just struggled with the ground I felt. It was quite holding and we travelled well to halfway, but she just felt like she was struggling in it. She definitely didn’t put her best foot forward today but she’ll be ok.”

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