Miss France captures first English 1000 Guineas for trainer Fabre

Legendary French horseman Andre Fabre won the English 1000 Guineas for the first time in a decades-long training career when Miss France captured the first fillies classic of the European season by a neck over fast-closing Lightning Thunder on Sunday at Newmarket.

Miss France, a daughter of Dansili, won for the third time in five races and made her second successful raid on England, having captured the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes last September, a race also run at Newmarket in which she beat Lightning Thunder by a head.

With Maxime Guyon up, Miss France pressed the moderate pace set in the straight-course race by Manderley, a 100-1 shot who nevertheless held third in a 17-horse field. Miss France overtook Manderley in the final quarter-mile and stayed on well enough to see off first Ihtimal, then Lightning Thunder, who raced mid-pack and found her best stride deep in the final furlong.

The favorites, Tapestry and Rizeena, made no impact. Tapestry raced close to the front but faded to last, while Rizeena never quickened from her mid-division position, coming home seventh.

Fabre named the Prix de Diane at Chantilly and the Coronation Stakes at Ascot as possible early-summer targets for Miss France, who is owned by Ballymore Thoroughbreds.