Ireland's Sea The Stars wins 2,000 Guineas

By Paul Majendie

NEWMARKET, England (Reuters) - Sea The Stars (8-1) gave Irish trainer John Oxx his first English 2,000 Guineas victory on Saturday.

Jockey Mick Kinane, 49, brought the colt home with a perfectly timed run to beat 3-1 favourite Delegator by a length and a half.

"He won going away, he's a terrific horse," said Oxx. The colt now heads for next month's Epsom Derby as the new 5-2 favourite with at least one large bookmaking firm.

Kinane, winning his fourth English 2,000 Guineas in a career peppered with big race victories round the globe, told Reuters: "He quickened well. Once he got into the dip he was going away. He won nicely."

Third in the 15-strong field at odds of 15-2 was Gan Amhras, another Irish raider, who was followed home by the Aidan O'Brien duo of Rip Van Winkle (9-2) and Mastercraftsman (7-1).

Sea The Stars is a half brother to dual Derby winner Galileo and was bred by the Hong Kong-based Tsui family. Oxx was optimistic he would stay the extra four furlongs (800 metres) at Epsom.

He told reporters: "That will be his next race. He had a little bit of a rush to get here. The five-week interval will be welcome. There will be a big debate whether he gets the trip. I think he has a fair chance."

Trainer Brian Meehan and jockey Jamie Spencer had been confident about Delegator's chances of landing the first classic of the season after the colt's impressive victory over course and distance in last month's Craven Stakes.