Samitar gave trainer Mick Channon and young jockey Martin Harley their first taste of Classic glory with victory in the Etihad Airway Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh.
The well-backed 12-1 chance had shown some smart form as a juvenile. However, she finished down the field over an inadequate trip at Newmarket on her seasonal reappearance, before fading in the latter stages of the French 1000 Guineas, having set lightning-fast early fractions.
Aidan O'Brien's Newmarket 1000 Guineas heroine Homecoming Queen was once again sent to the front by Joseph O'Brien, but this time she weakened tamely in the straight on ground that may well have been too lively for her liking.
Harley cut a confident figure as he loomed up on Samitar, and she finished her race off strongly to score by a length and a half from the O'Brien-trained outsider Ishvana.
Jessica Harrington’s Princess Sinead stayed on well to snatch third.
Channon said: "I'm delighted she's found her form.
"She didn't run badly in France, but she made the running and she should have been held up.
"It was my fault for running her in a sales race at Newmarket before that - I was trying to be clever dropping her back to six furlongs.
"She needed some decent ground and she's got it now.
"She'll go for the Coronation Stakes (Royal Ascot) and she was bought by the owner (Martin Schwartz) to go to America.
"The owner believed in me by putting Martin on and he got it spot-in - she was ridden with confidence.
"Martin's very confident and is a very hard worker."
Homecoming Queen was a shock nine-length winner at Newmarket earlier in the month and was an uneasy 11-8 favourite.
But she could never fully shake off the attentions of her nearest pursuers and there was no response when O'Brien jnr asked for maximum effort.
Homecoming Queen was not the only disappointment, with La Collina and Yellow Rosebud failing to pick up when it mattered.
Samitar travelled like the best horse throughout and was good value for what was a comfortable success.
Harley said: "She's been working good and a big thanks to the boss and the staff back home.
"Two furlongs down she was never going to get beat - she was travelling like the winner all the way.
"It's an amazing feeling."
