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MONDAY, MAY 5, 2014 SPORTS Miss France wins English 1,000 Guineas NEWMARKET: The aptly-named Miss her to be ridden but it worked,” Fabre told France supplied master French trainer Channel 4 with a smile. “This means a lot,” Andre Fabre with his first English 1,000 continued the Chantilly trainer. Guineas at Newmarket yesterday. “I trained the dam of the filly and I could Ridden by Maxime Guyon, the well-fan- not be more delighted. She will get further, cied 7-1 chance held off Lightning Thunder that is not a problem. She’ll go for the Prix (14-1) by a neck with Godolphin’s Ihtimal de Diane (French Oaks) next, her dam won half a length back in third, and the heavily- over a mile and a half.” supported 9-2 favourite Tapestry plum last. Referring to Miss France’s slip-up in her Fabre, a 25-time champion trainer in warm-up he added: “I got confident in the France, was adding to his success in the last 10 days after her bad (seasonal) debut. other classic run at the home of British rac- “She worked brilliantly, after that I told ing, the 2000 Guineas, which he claimed the owner we’d go to Newmarket. There with Pennekamp in 1995 and Zafonic two was a question mark after her first run this years earlier. Miss France, a winner at year but I knew that race wasn’t to be Newmarket last season, had been beaten believed.” on her Guineas warm-up last month but Lightning Thunder was coming off sec- despite that reverse was given a confident ond best to the winner for the second time, ride by Guyon. Olly Stevens’ filly finishing bridesmaid to Always up with the leaders headed by her in a Group Three last September. 100-1 outsider Manderley she hit the front Lightning Thunder could take on Miss as the ground began to rise towards the France again at Royal Ascot with Stevens post to hold off her pursuers in tenacious saying: “We’re thrilled, it’s wonderful to be style. here with a filly of this quality. We might go The third French-trained winner of the straight to the Coronation (Stakes).” There fillies classic in the past seven years she first was to be no fairytale third 1000 Guineas had to deal with Ihtimal’s challenge and winner for 80-year-old Clive Brittain with then the late surge of the eventual runner- second favourite Rizeena running well up. “It was the opposite of how I wanted without landing a telling blow. —AFP CHURCHILL DOWNS: In this image taken with a fisheye lens, jockey Victor Espinoza rides California Chrome to win in the 140th running of the Khan dominates Collazo Kentucky Derby horse race. —AP LAS VEGAS: Amir Khan knocked Luis bleeding from a cut by his right eye and California Chrome shines Collazo down three times on Saturday on his face was swollen. Two judges scored his way to a lopsided decision win he it 119-104, while the third had it 117-106. needed desperately if he hopes to fight “I had to hang in there,” Collazo said. “You at 140th Kentucky Derby Floyd Mayweather Jr. have to take me out, that’s what it’s all In his first fight in more than a year, about.” and stepping up to welterweight, Khan Khan, who improved to 29-3, thought CHURCHILL DOWNS: California Chrome won became the oldest man to train the winner of two-man syndicate Dumb-Ass Partners after dominated against a former champion. he was going to be fighting Mayweather the 140th Kentucky Derby in brilliant fashion at a the Kentucky Derby. The son of a Brooklyn bar- overhearing a stablehand say they were fools to Khan lost out to Marcos Maidana as instead of Maidana. He gave up a title bright and sunny Churchill Downs on Saturday, ber, Sherman has spent a lifetime in racing but try and breed from Love the Chase, the unwant- Mayweather’s opponent in the lucrative fight in December to wait for adding another fairytale chapter to America’s found little success on the track. ed dam that has given them Californian Chrome. main event, but made the best out of his Mayweather, but didn’t get picked for most famous and revered horse race. He had never even had a runner in the Derby Many thought they were crazy when they spot at the top of the undercard by beat- the fight despite winning an online poll Perfectly ridden by Victor Espinoza, the three- before this year, though he was an exercise rider turned down a $6 million offer to sell a 51 per- ing and bloodying Collazo. conducted by Mayweather. year-old colt pinned back his ears and sprinted for Swaps when he won the race in 1955. cent share of their star colt after he won the “People want to see that fight “It was very hard because Collazo is clear of his rivals to win the $2.2 million classic Sherman slept with Swaps on a bed of straw on Santa Anita Derby but no one doubts their judg- between me and Floyd,” Khan said. Khan really awkward,” Khan said. In another by one and a quarter lengths. a four-day train trip from the California. ment now. Commanding Curve, a 37-1 longshot, This time he’ll fly home on a chartered jet. The flashy chestnut has now won more than was cautious with Collazo, but used his bout, American J’Leon Love beat charged home late to finish second while Danza, “This has to be the sweetest moment of my life,” $2.5 million from 11 starts and will be worth mil- hand speed from the outside to land Mexican Marco Antonio Periban in a named after “Who’s the Boss” actor Tony Danza, Sherman said. “To be my age and have some- lions more as a stallion after winning the Derby. right hands to the head from the first super middleweight bout. Love won a boxed on for third after trying to stick with thing like this happen, what can you say?” And he is not finished yet. Even before the round on. He dropped Collazo with a 10-round decision on all three ringside California Chrome over the mile and a quarter colt had been draped with the traditional win- right hand in the fourth round, then scorecards to remain unbeaten in 19 journey on the Kentucky dirt. GUARDIAN ANGELS ner’s garland of red rose, his owners declared he dropped him twice in the 10th round. fights. Periban fell to 20-2-1.—AP Wicked Strong, the 6-1 second favourite For Mexican-born jockey Espinoza, it was his would go for the Triple Crown, comprising the Collazo finished the fight, but he was named in honor of the Boston marathon victims, second win in the Derby after he saluted on War Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont finished fourth after starting from the widest Emblem in 2002. The 41-year-old showed all his Stakes. Only 11 horses, among them Secretariat, barrier but California Chrome was never truly big race experience with a cool and calculated have pulled off the feat that has become the threatened. ride, keeping his mount out of harm’s way holy grail of American racing. The last horse to Unbeaten this season, California Chrome was before unleashing him in the stretch. do it was Affirmed in 1978. installed as the 5-2 favourite after romping to “I never dreamed I’d win a second Kentucky “I think we’re in a pretty good place now,” victories in each of his four previous races, Derby, but here it is,” Espinoza said. “This was a Coburn said. “Our guardian angels have been including last month’s Santa Anita Derby. typical race for him. He ran like he always does. I pretty good to us.” Dale Romans, who trained When the ‘Run for the Roses’ got underway, don’t mess with him too much. I just stretch his the eighth-places horse Medal Count, said he California Chrome broke quickly and settled in legs a little bit and then let him do his thing.” had become a believer after watching California third place. He made his move as the field of 19 California Chrome became just the fourth Chrome first hand. runners turned for home, taking the lead with a horse from the Golden State, and the first since “I didn’t think he fit the profile to win the breathtaking burst of acceleration before the 1962, to win the Bluegrass state’s crown jewel Derby but I’m very impressed the way he came shadows of the iconic Twin Spires as the crowd with a classic rags to riches tale that has already into it, the way he looked, the way he was pre- of almost 165,000 let out a mighty roar. endeared him to the American racing public. pared and the way he ran,” Romans said. Horse racing has been dubbed the “Sport of He was bred for just $10,000, a pittance in a “Now he has a new fan.” Hall of fame trainer Kings” but it is also a sport full of glorious unpre- sport where regally-bred horses change hands Bob Baffert was also gushing about the winner dictability and heart-tugging tales, and there for millions of dollars, by two blue-collar work- after his own horse, Chitu, faded to finish ninth. have been few to match the unlikely rise of ing men who were new to the race game but “You could tell he was comfortable the whole California Chrome.