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Etihad Airways Irish 1,000 Guineas |
Samitar Strikes for Channon in Irish 1,000 Guineas
27/05/12
1 Samitar 12/1
2 Ishvana 33/1
3 Princess Sinead 25/1
8 ran Distances: 1½l, 2¼l, 3¼l
TIME 1m 38.50s (slow by 1.50s)
Samitar gave trainer Mick Channon and young jockey Martin Harley their first taste of Classic glory with a surprise victory in the Etihad Airway Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh.
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The 12-1 chance had shown some smart form as a juvenile but looked to have plenty on her plate, having finished down the field at Newmarket and in the French 1000 Guineas on her two starts this year.
Newmarket 1000 Guineas heroine Homecoming Queen was again sent to the front, but this time she weakened tamely in the straight as Harley cut a confident figure, and Samitar finished her race off well to score by a length and a half from the Aidan O'Brien-trained outsider Ishvana.
Harley said: "She's been working good and a big thanks to the boss and the staff back home. Two furlongs down she was never going to get beat - she was travelling like the winner all the way. It's an amazing feeling."
Channon added: "I'm delighted she's found her form. She didn't run badly in France, but she made the running and she should have been held up. It was my fault for running her in a sales race at Newmarket before that - I was trying to be clever dropping her back to six furlongs.
"She needed some decent ground and she's got it now. She'll go for the Coronation Stakes (Royal Ascot) and she was bought by the owner (Martin Schwartz) to go to America.
"The owner believed in me by putting Martin on and he got it spot-on - she was ridden with confidence. Martin's very confident and is a very hard worker."
