Pat Smullen guides Refuse To Bend to victory Photos from the Guineas meeting

Refuse To Bend refused to yield and provided a first 2,000 Guineas success for Irish trainer Dermot Weld.

Ridden by Pat Smullen, Refuse To Bend held off outsiders Zafeen and Norse Dancer to win a tightly-fought contest at Newmarket.

Weld's unbeaten colt had been heavily backed in the lead-up to the race and went off joint second favourite to another Irish challenger, Hold That Tiger.

In a very open contest, the field came straight to the stand side of the course from the stalls and remained closely bunched until well into the final stages.

But Refuse To Bend, ridden by Pat Smullen, got his nose in front two furlongs out and held off the late challenge of Zafeen to claim the first Classic of the season.

Hold That Tiger, the 4-1 favourite, was kept wide by Michael Kinane, with Frankie Dettori on his inside on Lateen Sails, but neither could get into the race.

Weld, whose last British Classic winner came 22 years ago, confirmed that Refuse To Bend is now likely to contest the Epsom Derby next month.

"He ran a super race. He got a great ride from Pat Smullen. I told Pat to go out there and ride him like a champion, and that's what he did," said Weld.

"This is a special day because nowadays with the strength of Godolphin and Ballydoyle, my team by some standards is very small compared with theirs."

Jockey Smullen is confident that Refuse To Bend would acquit himself well in the Derby, for which he is now generally a 3-1 favourite.

"I assume Epsom is the plan and I think he'll get a mile and a half. He's a very laid-back horse, the type of horse you need to go on to big things," said the Irish jockey.

Refuse To Bend is a half-brother to Weld's Melbourne Cup winner, Media Puzzle.

The colt's win marks yet another top-level victory for offspring of leading sire Sadler's Wells.

Hurricane Alan's jockey Jimmy Fortune received a three-day ban for careless riding after the stewards ruled that he had allowed his mount, who finished seventh, to hang left.

It was deemed that this had caused interference to Jay Gee's Choice which resulted in trouble in running for Muqbil and Indian Haven.

Sagitta 2,000 Guineas Stakes
One mile, Newmarket

1 Refuse To Bend (P Smullen) 9-2
2 Zafeen (S Drowne) 33-1
3 Norse Dancer (P Robinson) 100-1
20 ran. Dist: �l, hd