Washington Takes Charge In Ireland

Aidan O´Brien and Kieren Fallon showed they have plenty to look forward to next season as George Washington put in a scintillating performance to take the Independent Waterford Wedgwood Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh yesterday.

The result was never in doubt once Kieren Fallon pushed the button aboard the 8-13 favourite, with the son of Danehill striding away to beat his stablemate Amadeus Mozart by eight lengths in the Group One prize.

O´Brien, who was winning the race for the seventh time in eight years, already dominated the betting for the mile Classic but he strengthened his grip as George Washington is now as low as 5-1 from 12s with Paddy Power.

'He has always been special and is a nice horse,' said O´Brien. 'He is an unusual beast as he shows so much speed but is bred for a mile.

'The minute he stretched away it was over and that was a great education for him.'

Fallon added: 'He felt great and everything went so well for him. It is nice not to hit them as they are still babies, and he is still a big baby.

'He is some horse and that was the best juvenile performance by far this season.'

O´Brien and Fallon made it a double when Rumplestiltskin underlined her own Classic claims with victory in the Robert H. Griffin Debutante Stakes.

The writing looked to be on the wall for the 11-8 favourite with two furlongs to go as Modeeroch had struck for home and Kieren Fallon was boxed in.

However, when the split appeared Rumplestiltskin quickened readily to settle matters in a few strides, going on to score by two lengths.

'She is a beautiful filly but we were disappointed with her at York (when third in the Albany Stakes), and I don´t know why she ran badly that day,' said O´Brien.

'She has loads of options now and if all goes well, I would like to bring her back here for the Moyglare.'

Somnus failed to figure in 10th as he tried to repeat his win of last year in the Group One Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.

Tim Easterby´s charge beat Whipper a neck in the six-and-a-half-furlong contest but this time it was the latter who came out on top and he registered a stylish success.

Whipper could now be set for a mouth-watering clash with the unbeaten Divine Proportions in next Sunday´s Prix Jacques Le Marois - a race he won last year.

Trainer Robert Collet said:: 'He´s an amazing horse. He´s now won the Three Group Ones on the Deauville programme - the Morny, Jacques le Marois and now the Prix Maurice de Gheest.

'I will have to wait and see if he can run next week in the Marois against his sister, as I want to make sure he has recovered well from today´s race.'

Winning jockey Christophe Soumillion was much more confident though, adding: 'I can´t wait to meet Divine Proportions next week.'

Fallon had also been in flying form at Haydock on Saturday, notching up a 57{-1 hat-trick on Texas Gold, Courageous Duke and Yorkshire Blue.

However, it was Richard Hughes who took all the plaudits with a tactical success on Notable Guest in the Petros Rose Of Lancaster Stakes.

After a lack of early pace in the Group Three contest, Hughes sent the four-year-old up to dispute the lead leaving the back straight and he was soon dictating matters from the front.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt kicked on over three furlongs out and the 5-1 shot stretched clear inside the final quarter of a mile to score by three lengths from 4-6 favourite David Junior.

'He settled when I jumped out, that was the plan to sit in behind and get him relaxed,' Hughes said.

'But with the pace they were going I just let him stride on and he relaxed going up there. I decided to squeeze him along four out and when I picked him up he really flew.

'Slowly but surely he´s learned to relax and he´s going the right way now.'

At Newmarket, Confidential Lady found a 3lb penalty just too much when going down by a head to Nasheej in the Swynford Paddocks Hotel Sweet Solera Stakes.

Having beaten the winner into third at Sandown last month, the extra weight for Confidential Lady just swung the balance enough to enable the less-exposed Nasheej to reverse the placings.

Winning trainer Richard Hannon said: 'I thought that the second horse was the one we had to beat.

'But my filly got into a lot of trouble at Sandown when she couldn´t get out and that was it really, so I was confident of reversing the placings.'

Saturday´s action was marred by Robert Winston´s terrible fall at Ayr on Saturday night - an incident which has ended his title dreams.

Winston was riding Pearl´s A Singer in the Farrans Utilities Maiden Voyage Handicap when the filly appeared to slip on the home bend, sending him crashing through the rails.

Three other horses were brought down in the incident and the rest of the meeting was abandoned due to unsafe ground.

Winston sustained two fractures on his lower jaw and possible fractures on the upper jaw also and he now looks set to sit out the rest of the season.

? PA Sport