THE EAGLES HAS LANDED
IT was business as usual in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket as Gleneagles gave Aidan O’Brien his seventh victory in the season’s first Classic.
But it was a first success in the race for three-time champion jockey Ryan Moore, who can look forward to many more days like this following the recent announcement he is stepping up his association with Ireland’s leading trainer.
Moore was registering his third Classic triumph for O’Brien following the 1000 Guineas on Homecoming Queen three years ago and Ruler Of The World in the 2013 Derby.
He has also won a Derby for Sir Michael Stoute, his main employer of the last five years, but will be riding more regularly for O’Brien from now on.
Gleneagles was sent off 4-1 favourite in what had looked an open renewal and his supporters were always counting their money as he travelled sweetly throughout and put the race to bed when Moore pressed the button a furlong out.
“He’s always a strong traveller and has a great turn of foot,” said O’Brien. “He never does more than he has to once he gets there, but he’s got a lot of speed and is a proper miler.”
Moore echoed the trainer’s comments and is already savouring the prospect of reuniting with Gleneagles for races such as the Irish 2000 and St James’s Palace at Royal Ascot.
“He’s very straightforward and an exciting horse,” said the jockey.
Of his burgeoning relationship with O’Brien, he added: “Aidan’s achieved everything you can.”
Moore was atoning for a narrow defeat aboard odds-on shot Telescope in the main supporting race, the Jockey Club Cup, after he was beaten by Second Step. JAMES ANDERSON is not a morning person.
But for the second time in successive weeks he ignited England’s charge for glory with a morning spell to die for.
Ask his team-mates what he is like first thing and they will tell you that his usual grumpy demeanour is essentially just grumpier as he hauls himself onto the bus at the last minute as if he would rather be anywhere else.
And yet by the time he has a brand new cricket ball thrust into his hands he is transformed into a dynamo of energy and skill, leaving experienced batsmen such as Marlon Samuels to make fools of themselves.
Anderson enjoyed a sixwicket haul and struck three times in the space of six overs to put the skids under the Windies reply to England’s first innings 257 all out.
And he did it with another exhibition of new ball swing bowling that remains the benchmark for bowlers around the world.
His six-over spell included four maidens as he took 3-4 to reduce the home side to 21-3 before lunch on day two, and there was very little they could do about it. Kraigg Brathwaite had to play at his second ball that took a thick edge to Chris Jordan at third slip for a regulation catch, before debutante Shai Hope got a slightly thinner edge to give Alastair Cook a redeeming catch at slip.
Cook had already dropped a simpler chance from Darren Bravo off Stuart Broad in the previous over.
It was the wicket of Samuels though that really summed up what Anderson is all about. The Windies batsman had watched the ball swinging away from him time and again, and went to leave another, only this time it was the inswinger and as Samuels shouldered arms in front of middle stump, the ball thudded into his pads and he was gone.
Anderson not only had his man, but he had totally and utterly out-foxed him and for a swing bowler there can be no better feeling.
As is so often the case, where Anderson leads, others follow and so it was as Moeen Ali struck to remove Bravo thanks to the safe hands of Jordan at slip. England have had their fair share of top slippers from Andrew Strauss to Marcus Trescothick to Mirror Sport’s own Sir Ian Botham, but they are all in danger of being eclipsed by Jordan.