By George, Washington not the real deal yet
Kieren Fallon described his performance at the Curragh on Sunday as “unbelievable”, but some of the headlines and the rave reviews he got have been almost equally unbelievable.
Look, you cannot knock what the son of Danehill did in the Group One Phoenix Stakes. The time was excellent and he scored by eight lengths.
But I remain unconvinced he is the flying machine nearly everyone seems to be making him out to be and harbour real doubts about the value of Sunday’s race.
On Tuesday Racing Post handicapper, Simon Turner, had George Washington 11lbs clear of second-rated Ivan Denisovich, another Ballydoyle inmate, in his juvenile ratings.
Irish handicapper Garry O’Gorman, however, was more conservative and puts George Washington 7lbs above Ivan Denisovich.
This game, as we have said many times, is all about opinion, but here’s one who would be very much on O’Gorman’s side.
He described Sunday’s race as having “a soft underbelly”. And that is the problem. I mean how could Amadeus Mozart have finished second, in front of Royal Ascot at York Coventry winner, Red Clubs, and Namaya?
There can really only be one explanation and it is that neither Red Cubs of Namaya ran anywhere near their best. Take them out and all George Washington had to do, essentially, was enjoy a lap of honour.
Amadeus Mozart travelled to the Curragh with very moderate form to his credit. He was a well stuffed third in a Newmarket maiden previously.
Prior to that he was beaten by two ordinary horses at Gowran Park in Duff and An Tadh. What’s more he went off a relatively easy to back 5-2 chance.
I suppose what I am trying to say is we should wait for a lot more evidence before getting too carried away with George Washington.
He may well be the business and win everything from the English 2000 Guineas to the Dingle Derby as a three-year-old!
I hope he runs again this season and this time in a proper Group One. You’d be inclined to think, though, that won’t be the case.
Anyway, this is how one of the jockeys who rode in Sunday’s contest summed it up: “Good performance by the winner, rubbish race.”
HAS any horse in the history of Irish racing, now there’s a statement, ever started at a more stupid price than Streets Of Gold in the 21-runner Waterford Crystal Handicap at the Curragh?
Off-course layers put him in at around 7-2 and 100-30 on Sunday morning, but punters thought they’d never have enough on.
He kept shortening and eventually went off at 6-4, in a contest where the layers managed to bet to a whopping 167%.
Personally, I felt he might win, he finished fourth, but watched literally dumbstruck as the gamble gathered momentum.
He had beaten a horse called Impartial to land his maiden at Wexford. The same Impartial finished a poor fifth of ten behind Fire Finch back at Wexford on Friday night.
The warning signs were there, but it made no difference. Any price is a good price seems to have been the catch cry.
How does a ball like that start rolling and then keep rolling? Beats me.
