1,000 Guineas: Elmalka wins for returning Silvestre de Sousa

The 28-1 chance Elmalka got up late to claim victory in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket to give three-time champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa a maiden Classic win in his first ride in the race.

The victory for the Brazilian rider comes after he was given a 10-month ban by Hong Kong authorities last year after pleading guilty to a betting charge, and he only returned to action in March.

Elmalka, trained by Roger Varian, was making only her third career start and was slowest out of the stalls.

She was at the back of the field early on but eventually got into her stride as first Star Style and then Ramatuelle set the pace at the head of the field.

Ramatuelle, trained in France by Christopher Head and ridden by Aurelien Lemaitre, looked strong but seemed to tire late on as the winner got a good run through the field and finished strongly to take the lead in the final strides.

There was more heartbreak for Ramatuelle (9-2) with Porta Fortuna (11-1) edging her out for second.

“You never come in expecting to win,” Varian told ITV Racing.

“But I wouldn’t have run her if I didn’t think she would run well. I’m thrilled and the team have done a great job with her.”