Moore salutes ‘special’ one after Churchill’s finest hour
RYAN MOORE labelled Churchill a ‘very special colt’ after he gave trainer Aidan O’Brien yet another group-one win in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.
Despite being slightly hampered just over a furlong out, the 8-11 shot forged a length-and-a-quarter clear of stablemate Lancaster Bomber.
William Hill cut Churchill to 7-4 favourite for the 2017 2,000 Guineas and 6-1 favourite for next year’s Derby.
Singing praises of Churchill, Moore, whose specialist subject is not hyperbole, said: ‘I think Churchill is a very special colt. He does everything right, has a very good mind, is a very strong horse and a beautiful mover. He is the whole package.
‘They were not going quick enough for him. He did just what he has to do. He did not feel like anywhere near his limit. He is very exciting.’
The Dewhurst completed a sequence of results enough to make O’Brien’s rivals wave the white flag of surrender.
A week ago, Found led home an historic O’Brien 1-2-3 in the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe and on Friday O’Brien’s Rhododendron and Hydrangea had been the first two home in the Cheveley Park Stakes, the most important race for two-yearold fillies run on British soil.
In a season when the domination of Ireland’s top trainer has been close to complete, the view of the future currently looks fairly sobering for his rivals.
This was his 21st group one race win of the year, leaving him just four behind the global record of 25 set by the late US trainer Bobby Frankel in 2003.
O’Brien also has unbeaten Caravaggio for the 2017 2,000 Guineas as well as five of the first six in the betting for the 1,000 Guineas.
The crumb of comfort for his opponents is that O’Brien’s previous four Dewhurst winners endured mixed futures, particularly last year’s winner Air Force Blue, who has been quietly shuffled off to stud after failing to win again.
Prize for best acting of the day went to John Ferguson, chief executive of Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin empire, who, with Dubai sponsoring the Dewhurst, had to hand over the trophy to his boss’s biggest rivals with a smile after being blown out of the water yet again.
The Dewhurst third was Godolphin’s Blue Point, confirming trainer Charlie Appleby’s fears he lacked stamina. He’ll now be trained as sprinter.
Frankel’s son Seven Heavens was last of the seven runners after pulling way too hard.