A week of excruciating pain brought on by a kick from a horse wasn't enough to stop Hayden Tinsley from riding Daffodil in the One Thousand Guineas at Riccarton.The reward for the pain was his 11th Group One win and he has an even greater appreciation of the talent of the Kevin Gray-trained filly."That acceleration she showed over the final furlong still surprises me now," Tinsley told NZPA.Daffodil had to come from behind the favourite Juice, who sprinted clear at the 300m, but she gathered her

A week of excruciating pain brought on by a kick from a horse wasn't enough to stop Hayden Tinsley from riding Daffodil in the One Thousand Guineas at Riccarton.

The reward for the pain was his 11th Group One win and he has an even greater appreciation of the talent of the Kevin Gray-trained filly.

"That acceleration she showed over the final furlong still surprises me now," Tinsley told NZPA.

Daffodil had to come from behind the favourite Juice, who sprinted clear at the 300m, but she gathered her in with ease to win Saturday's 1600m feature by a length.

Tinsley was kicked in the back by a horse in the birdcage at Awapuni last Saturday, causing him to pass out more than once.

He was hospitalised and spent a couple of days unable to move, before recovering enough to get a fitness clearance on Friday to ride Daffodil.

"It seems to be a massive haematoma around the kidney area," Tinsley said.

He was unable to walk early last week, watching the Melbourne Cup on the couch at home, but by Wednesday he was undertaking a program of spas, saunas and massages to loosen up his back, which proved enough to get a medical clearance for the ride on Friday.

He said an earlier ride on the program gave him the confidence to know he could handle the pressure of the big race.

He did that, giving her a good run in the trail. Leith Innes on Juice pocketed Daffodil when he came around her in the straight, but once Juice sprinted clear, Tinsley was able to extract her in enough time for her to quickly overhaul the favourite.

It was a tribute to Gray's conditioning skills that he was able to produce Daffodil to win a 1600m Group One at her first attempt beyond 1200m and a month after her last run.

Gray said Daffodil was up there in class with Legs who won the 2006 New Zealand Oaks and Kelt Capital Stakes.

"She's done everything right and she looks a real Oaks type," said Gray. The good news for her rivals was that she won't be lining up in the $1 million Two Thousand Guineas at Riccarton next Saturday.

Gray, 71, now has four Group One wins to his credit, the other being with Master Belt in the Two Thousand Guineas.

Owner Garry Chittick thought Gray, normally conservative in his prediction of races, was as bullish as he had ever been over the chances of Daffodil.

"I rang on Tuesday when I was in Melbourne and I asked if Il Quello Veloce was in the field, but Kevin said he wasn't worried even if she was."

It was Chittick's first Thousand Guineas win in four attempts.

"Starcent was beaten by a head and then Ambitious, who was out of Starcent, was beaten by about the same."

It was a great day for Chittick, the proprietor of Waikato Stud which stands O'Reilly, sire of Swick who won Saturday's Group One Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) at Flemington.

Chittick and Gray have formed a formidable partnership, while it was a renewal of the Gray-Tinsley association.

"This was special for me as I was apprenticed to him," said Tinsley.

Juice will go on to the Two Thousand Guineas on Saturday as will third-placed Awesome Planet.