Dawn Approach strides on to victory at the Curragh© Photo Healy Racing
The Godolphin-owned and Jim Bolger-trained and bred Dawn Approach made it five from five in the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes with an authoritative four and three parts of a length success. Flying The Flag took them along at quite a gallop under Seamie Heffernan, clear of his field.
However from over a furlong out he was not surprisingly running on empty. Dawn Approach was soon in front and the 5/1 (from 7s with Stan James) and 7/1 (from 8s with Paddy Power) 2013 Guineas favourite raced away to beat outsider Designs On Rome He ran a great race for Pat Flynn and Danny Grant.
Jim Bolger, also handler of the third, Leitir Mor summed up his feelings when saying: "I was very impressed when I saw him winning so easily and even more so when Kevin told me the pace they were going. He thought that they might have been going a stride too fast but that wasn't the case.
"He was well up to it and he flew home.
"He'll come on a little bit for the run but he doesn't need to.
"Hopefully he'll go for the Dewhurst – it's one of our favourite haunts and hopefully we'll get there.
"We'll talk about it (plans) at the end of the year and whatever Sheikh Mohammed decides will be fine with me.
"It's always nice when a horse has been off for so long, to get the win and get the job done. There is some relief.
"It was the same with his father (New Approach) in the same race. He went a relentless gallop and he quickened off it. Like father like son.
"He'll make a very smart miler and if he stays any further it'll be a bonus.
"The ground was a slight concern but he handled it very well. Even if it was a little bit worse at Newmarket we'd be tempted."
Meanwhile Kevin Manning, successful on Teofilo in 2006 and New Approach in 2007 and now Dawn Approach in 2012, said: "He's done nothing wrong all year and he's just kept improving.
"It's been a while since Ascot and I was a little concerned about the ground.
"I walked it this morning and it was yielding and no better than yielding.
"I did have a little concern about that but as the day has gone on it's dried out.
"He's just all class, he's pacey, he gets the trip, he has a great attitude – he just has everything.
"Seamie (Heffernan on Flying The Flag) jumped out and the pace we went was five furlong pace.
"At one stage we were ten maybe twelve (lengths) off him.
"I thought at one stage that maybe we'd given him too much rope but the pace we were going he just couldn't keep it up.
"When I asked my lad to pick him up he got there quicker than I thought – very very quickly.
"His temperament is a good bit better than the sire. The father was more difficult than this guy. He was always on his toes and you always had to be on top of him.
"This guy is very laid back, very switched off. There are little similarities and the two of them can run!
"I'd find it hard to see him getting much beyond a mile.
"He has an awful lot of pace and when you ask him to do it he does it very very quickly, in a few strides.
"I'm not saying he won't get further but at the moment I couldn't see him getting much beyond a mile.
"He won here the first day of the season and Jim has done a fantastic job keeping him on the go all year.
"It's been quite a while since Ascot and he missed one or two engagements because of the ground since.
"It's not the first time that Jim has done a fantastic job with these horses." (GC & EM)
