Last at the turn, Tye Angland launched France down the outside to grab one of the race favourites, Prized Icon, in the final 50m and register a short head win over the James Cumming-trained gelding.

Prized Icon’s co-favourite, Mr Sneaky, was scratched at the barrier after the Flemington galloper dislodged jockey Jason Collett and jumped a few nearby fences.

France had no such hurdles, delivering a final burst to lift the Guineas and secure a trip north to Brisbane.

Peter and Paul Snowden had two Guineas runners with Calanda, ridden by Hugh Bowman, the more fancied of the two.

 “He (Calanda) never relaxed,” Paul Snowden said.

“He was gallant though.”

France “hit the line well”, Snowden added.

“I said he’d run a lot better than people thought.

“He had a nice soft run out the back.”

He said Angland had followed the favourites perfectly.

“He’s a casual horse, massively casual,” the jockey explained after having to “keep his mind on the job”.

“I didn’t want to be that far back but....”

France, a full brother to Peeping, will go to Brisbane now after giving the Snowdens its second big race in two years in their old home town.