by Tony Smurthwaite

Natagora made light of stamina worries on Sunday, leading most of the way and holding off all challengers to win the Stanjamesuk.com One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) on the straight Rowley Mile at Newmarket.

Though drawn wide in post 13 in the 15-horse field, Natagora was brought right over to the stands' rail by jockey Christophe Lemaire and won by a half-length from Spacious.

Trained by France by Pascal Bary, Natagora covered the distance in 1:38.99 as the 11-to-4 favorite on turf rated as good to firm. Spacious, 11-to-2 in the wagering, finished another half-length in front of third-place finisher Saoirse Abu.

It looked at one stage as challengers lined up behind that Lemaire had erred in taking Natagora to the lead, especially so when 33-to-1 outsider Nahoodh came with a storming rush behind.

However, no sooner did Nahoodh’s effort catch the eye than she faded to finish fifth.

Victory was a bittersweet moment for Bary, 55, who five years earlier looked on as Six Perfections (Fr), sent off the 7-to-4 favorite for the Guineas, endured a terrible passage through the race and narrowly lost out to Russian Rhythm.

This time it all worked out for Bary

“She has done something fantastic,” he said of the gray daughter of Divine Light, owned by Stefan Friborg. “They all came to her, but she ran to the end.

"She is a fantastic filly. I have dreamed about this since last October. She is very brave and she moves very well. Even when she is in front she doesn't pull or anything like that."

Both Bary and Lemaire were winning a British classic for the first time.

Bary may now point Natagora toward the Boylesports Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) at the Curragh on May 25.

Friborg, who is based in Brazil and has campaigned horses in the United States with trainer Ken McPeek, is enjoying some recent success. His colors were carried to victory in a Group 3 race in Brazil on April 27 when Estrela Boa, at odds of 17-1, won at Rio de Janeiro's Hipodromo La Gavea.

Bred in France, Natagora entered the Guineas off a 1½-length triumph in the Prix Imprudence on April 14 at Maisons-Laffitte in her sophomore debut. She won five of seven starts last year, including the Prix Robert Pain (Fr-G2) at Maisons-Laffitte and capped the season with a neck victory in the Skybet.com Cheveley Park Stakes (Eng-G1) on October 5 at Newmarket.

Out of the winning Linamix mare Reinamixa, Natagora has won seven of nine career starts.

Tony Smurthwaite, a British-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent, is a writer for Racing Post