Ghanaati surprises in 1000 Guineas

Ghanaati handed Rainbow View the first loss of her career at Newmarket on Sunday when the 20-1 shot landed the classic $577,000 1000 Guineas Stakes. Banged down to 8-11 favoritism, Rainbow View failed to show the sparkle that had earned her the European juvenile filly championship in coming home fifth, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner.

Trained by Barry Hills and ridden by his son Richard for Hamdan al-Maktoum, Ghanaati was placed by Hills just behind the leaders before making her move to catch the 12-1 Cuis Ghaire at the three-sixteenths pole. She prevailed by 1 1/2 lengths with the 33-1 Super Sleuth third, 1 1/4 lengths farther back. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up Heart Shaped ran on to snatch fourth on the line by a nose from Rainbow View. The time for the mile on ground gauged good to firm, firm in places, was a stakes-record 1:34.22, just 0.15 of a second off the track mark set by Eagle Mountain in the Joel Stakes on Oct. 3 last year.

By Giant's Causeway, Ghanaati was, like Saturday's 2000 Guineas winner Sea the Stars, making her first start of the season, but this was also her first career start on turf. Out of the Mr. Prospector mare Sarayir, herself a three-quarter sister to Nayef and a half to both Nashwan and Unfuwain, Ghanaati had run just twice at 2, finishing third in a Kempton Polytrack maiden before winning a seven-furlong maiden at the same track by six lengths on Oct. 27. Her next stop could be the English Oaks, for which Ladbrokes make her the 6-1 co-favorite with Fantasia.

John Gosden blamed the fast ground for Rainbow View's so-so effort. "She hated it," he exclaimed, while remaining adamant that his Dynaformer filly had trained on. Gosden mentioned both the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh on May 24 and the English Oaks at Epsom on June 5 as possible next starts.