Maria's Mon Filly Posts Upset Over Champion Tempera

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Godolphin Racing's Tempera, the North American champion 2-year-old filly last year, finished a well-beaten second to stablemate Infinite Spirit in the $250,000 UAE One Thousand Guineas at Nad al Sheba Racecourse Thursday night.

Both the winner, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Maria's Mon--Eternal Reve (by Diesis), and the runner-up are trained by Saeed bin Suroor for Godolphin. E B's Sweep, a U.S.-bred filly by End Sweep--Diplomatic Dance (by Sir Diplomat), finished third.

Infinite Spirit, ridden by John Carroll, took the early lead and led throughout the one-mile race. Tempera stalked the pacesetter under Frankie Dettori and could not make up ground when asked. Tempera ducked in with about three-sixteenths of a mile remaining and Dettori eased up on her in the final strides as Infinite Spirit won by five lengths.

The defeat throws into question the 2002 plans for Tempera, a daughter of A. P. Indy who was voted champion last year when she was trained in the U.S. by Eoin Harty.

"She jumps very well and has a high cruising speed," Carroll said of the winner. "When Frankie came at me...I knew how well I was going and I knew my filly would respond and she did so impressively. Whether she can measure up to the classics later remains to be seen but she is going the right way, she is improving and she is definitely a group filly."

Bred in Kentucky by Darley Stud Management, Infinite Spirit has three victories in five career starts.

The UAE 1000 Guineas was run for the first time in 2001, when it was won by and was won by Muwakleh, who eventually finished second in the One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket, England.

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