Oisin Murphy returned in February following a lengthy ban for alcohol and COVID breaches. He faced a long road back to the top but he took a giant step towards restoring his reputation with a winning ride in the Godolphin colours to win the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on the Saeed Bin Suroor trained Mawj.
Mawj had been busy at two, running five times and winning twice but putting up highly creditable placed efforts in defeat. She’s started her 2023 campaign in a similarly prolific fashion, this was her third start following two winning runs in Meydan.
Those two runs may have made the difference in the Guineas as she was pushed all the way by the Irish-trained filly Tahiyra, herself a Group 1 winner at two. Unlike Mawj, Tahiyra hadn’t had the benefit of a previous run, trainer Dermot Weld citing the heavy ground in Ireland during the spring as the reason for her absence prior to Newmarket.
Leaving the stalls the field split into two groups with Mawj quickly leading the stands group side. Tahiyra didn’t start as brightly as her rival and she was towards the rear of that group early.
Racing into the dip Tahiyra had made ground into a challenging position but Mawj had set sail for home. The race quickly developed into a tussle between the pair but Tahiyra, coming from behind, never quite got to Mawj and it was Mawj, in the Godolphin blue silks, who prevailed by half a length at the line.
Murphy had finished second on an outsider in the previous day’s 2000 Guineas and was clearly delighted to have won. “There is nothing better. I was second in the race yesterday and to win it is unbelievable. Thank you to the trainer and his staff, they did all the hard work.”
Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor was winning the race for the third time but his last win was 21 years ago when Kazzia won. “She’s a tough filly. She’s a nice filly over this trip. The Irish 1,000 Guineas could be an option,” he said after the race.
Mawj joined her half-brother Modern Games in becoming a classic winner, the colt having won last year’s Poule d’Essai des Poulains at Longchamps (the French equivalent of the 2000 Guineas).
