ELMALKA came from last to first to win the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday, giving jockey Silvestre de Sousa a first British classic success in the process.

Trained by Roger Varian, Elmalka (by Kingman) came into the race after just two races - a maiden win at Southwell last November and a third-place finish in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury last month.

Drawn nearest the stand rail in stall 16, Elmalka (28/1) started slowly and was closer to last place at halfway as French raider Ramatuelle duelled with favourite Fallen Angel in front.

Donnacha O'Brien's Porta Fortuna and Aidan O'Brien's Ylang Ylang made late headway but nothing finished faster than Elmalka who nosed ahead of Porta Fortuna and Ramatuelle on the line.

The winner is owned by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum. She is out of the Selkirk mare Nahrain, who won the Prix de l'Opera in 2011 and is already the dam of Group 1 winner Benbatl.

De Sousa said: "She switched off and was always behind the bridle, an easy ride. But she is inexperienced and got very unbalanced. She's tough and I think the further she goes the better she will be."

Varian added: "You can never expect to win these races but I expected her to run well. I am absolutely delighed for His Highness Sheikh Amhed who has supported me from day one. I'm so thrilled to deliver him a classic winner, and out of Nahrain, who was our first Group 1 winner, it's very special.

“She ran a big race at Newbury and she was as green as grass and credit to James Doyle who gave her a super ride that day. He got an education into her and she finished strongly. We weren’t set on running in the Guineas that day but the turnaround in the filly in the last fortnight has been quite incredible.

“She’s looked fantastic, she’s eaten everything in front of her and she’s worked well. I was in two minds whether to run her because I didn’t want to do the wrong thing by the filly but that’s why we’re here, right, to have a go?

French reaction

French trainer Christopher Head, who saddled the third Ramatuelle, said: “It was a very nice run from Ramatuelle and I was very happy with her performance today.

“We needed to be humble today as we were up against plenty of very nice fillies but she held her own and ran a very nice race.

“I thought she would last home when she hit the rising ground and she has only been beaten a very few metres at the finish.

“The programme is still wide open for her – she can maybe go sprinting or stay at a mile. I will speak with her owners and see – everything is open to her. A mile is the limit of her stamina.

“I would like to thank the owners for letting me run her.”

A further half-length back in fourth was Tamfana (33/1). The German-bred filly came home strongly after meeting trouble in running.

Her trainer, the West Sussex-based Frenchman David Menuisier, said: “I have mixed feelings. She was the unluckiest filly in the race but what can you do? The plan was to always to go to the French Oaks after today and she will still go there and she will have a good chance.

“I don’t really know what to say – you could run the race 100 times and 99 times she would win, but that’s life.

“I feel sorry for Jamie (Spencer, jockey) as well because it had nothing to do with him. He was there in the right spot – exactly in the same place as yesterday’s winner – and travelling better than anything else. It was a matter of getting gaps and we didn’t, which can happen. We are not the first people this has happened to and we won’t be the last – we have to cope with that.

“I’d like to be happy but I can’t really as we came here to win the race. I can be happy as we know have a very good filly – everything was right except the result.”