2011 1000 Guineas

1000 Guineas

grey filly trained at Newmarket, Suffolk by Mahmood Al Zarooni and ridden by Frankie Dettori. Blue Bunting's victory was the first in the race for Al Zarooni. Godolphin and Dettori had previously won the race with Cape Verdi in 1998 and Kazzia

9/2 ahead of Memory (6/1), Havant (13/2) with Hooray and Misty for Me at 9/1. Blue Bunting, who was running in her first Group race, and was considered a middle-distance prospect rather than a miler,^[1] started a 16/1 outsider.^[2]

starting stalls and was withdrawn without coming under starter's orders. Hooray took the early lead and set the pace from the 50/1 outsider Elshabakiya, with Laughing Lashes, Empowering and Misty for Me close behind. Memory effectively refused to race and was tailed-off soon after the start. The complexion of the race changed abruptly three furlong from the finish as the early leaders weakened and several fillies who had been restrained in the early stages made rapid progress. Moonlight Cloud briefly took the advantage with a quarter mile left to run but was quickly overtaken by Together and Maqaasid who raced down the centre of the track, whilst Nova Hawk moved forward and Blue Bunting began to make rapid progress on the stand-side rail. Together led until well inside the final furlong when she was overtaken by Blue Bunting who won by three quarters of a length, with Maqaasid a length and a quarter back in third ahead of Nova Hawk. Of the other fancied runners, Havant finished sixth, Moonlight Cloud seventh, Hooray eighth, Misty for Me eleventh and Memory eighteenth and last.^[2]