( CNN ) -- It was billed as a showdown between king and country : John Gosden 's imperious Kingman versus Aiden O'Brien 's exciting Australia . In the end it was 40-1 shot Night of Thunder , ridden by Kieren Fallon , who delivered a shock result in the first Classic of the English season . Racing is a sport of many long and proud traditions . The newest of these is surely the preoccupation , in the run up to the 2,000 Guineas , with identifying the `` next Frankel . '' Perhaps inevitably , Kingman , running in the same green , pink and white colours of Khalid Abdulla , had bourn the brunt of this fevered speculation . A star turn in the Greenham Stakes -- a race also won by Frankel en route to his Guineas in 2011 -- did nothing to quell racing fans ' hopes that lightening could , perhaps , strike twice . Kingman 's only vulnerability appeared to be the ground -- he needed surgery last year to remove a bone chip and connections were concerned about the going being too fast . In the end it was not drought but thunder they should have worried about . The 14-runner field had split into two groups at the start of the race , with one group , containing pre-race favorite Kingman and Night of Thunder , being lead by Spanish challenger Noozhoh Canarias , while the second was headed by Night of Thunder 's more fancied stable mate Toormore . As the two groups approached the final half-furlong , Kingman 's jockey James Doyle looked to have timed his run perfectly on the outside , with Joseph O'Brien and Australia matching him stride-for-stride on the inside . Night of Thunder , however , appeared on Kingman 's flank and looked set to take him on , before taking an unexplained detour to join Australia on the stands side . Powered home . Despite losing valuable seconds in the switch , Night of Thunder powered home to win by half a length . Kingman and Australia were split by a head in second and third respectively . It was a first Classic win , on paper , at least , for Richard Hannon , Jr. , who took the reins of his father 's training operation just this season . The normally voluble Hannon was lost for words as the plaudits rained down on his champion . `` It 's the stuff of dreams , '' said Hannon . `` As a school boy you dream of days like this -- you think you might get there one day , and you might not . But we 've done it . '' By contrast , Night of Thunder 's veteran jockey Fallon , is a previous four-time winner of this race . The 49-year-old has seen his fair share of ups and downs in a colorful career which has seen him crowned Champion Jockey six times yet also serve lengthy bans following accusations of race fixing and testing positive for banned substances . `` It 's brilliant , '' said Fallon , whose last win in the race came in 2006 . `` It 's a great race to win and it kick-starts our confidence for the year . '' From here , thoughts inevitably turn to the Derby , the next of the English `` Classics '' on the calendar . Australia , on pedigree , should have his best chance at Epsom ( he is the son of a Derby winner and an Oaks winner ) , while Kingman has shown too much class in his career to date to be written off just yet . The search for the next Frankel goes on . Fabre breaks 1,000 Guineas duck . In the fillies ' equivalent Sunday , French raider Miss France delivered the goods under jockey Maxime Guyon to give master trainer Andre Fabre his first victory in the 1,000 Guineas . Tucked in behind early pacesetter Manderley , Miss France showed a devastating turn of foot to beat a fast-finishing Lightening Thunder in a thrilling finish . It was a marked change of tactics for the winner of the Oh So Sharp Stakes . 24-time French champion trainer Fabre told reporters that the ride was `` the exact opposite of the way I wanted her ridden -- but it worked . '' It is expected she will now be targeted at the `` French Oaks '' -- the Prix de Diane .
Night of Guineas wins 1,000 Guineas . 40 -1 shot triumphed in first Classic of the English season . Kieren Fallon rode his first Guineas winner . NEW : First 40 Thunder for master trainer Andre Fabre .