Hurricane blows hot for Guineas
The 9-1 chance, who was quietly supported in the betting in the run-up to the race, looked in trouble two furlongs out as Splendid Era was challenged by Lundy's Lane for the lead. But switched to the inside by Jimmy Fortune, Hurricane Alan made relentless progress to lead inside the final furlong and pull clear from 25-1 shot Lundy's Lane by a length and a half.
The winner was well ridden to take advantage of a sizeable gap that opened up on the rails as Splendid Era drifted right as he faded out of contention.
Hannon immediately confirmed that Hurricane Alan would bid to follow in the footsteps of Tirol, who won this prize and the Guineas in 1990 for the stable.
The colt can be backed for the colts' Classic at 25-1 with William Hill, Coral and Victor Chandler. Cashmans offer 33s. "He's got a turn of foot, he's a brave horse and we'll come back for the Guineas and see what happens," Hannon said.
"He's not a hard horse to train, but he will come on for the run.
"Jimmy came down to ride him the other day and he worked well. We knew Richard Hughes would have to ride something else, so it made sense for Jimmy to ride him here and in the Guineas.
"I think he will run a big race. You can't run when you're a four-year-old, so you've got to give it a chance when you can.
"Have a look back at his form with Muqbil last season there's no way he deserves to be a 25-1 chance. He's won his trial and he can do no more than that.
"Mister Links will go for the Guineas too. He ran a good race at Newbury to be third in the Greenham and I think he will get the mile all right.
"We'll come here with two good chances and they're going to be operational."
Fortune said he was pleased with the performance of his mount.
"I think that was a pretty good performance," the rider said. "It was a muddling pace early on and a bit of a struggle to get him settled, but he will settle off a good pace.
"He made up a lot of ground in the closing stages. The others weren't stopping, they were sprinting, and he still quickened past them.
"It's a tall order but he certainly deserves to have a crack at the Guineas."
Clive Brittain, who also saddled the runner-up in the equivalent fillies' trial at the meeting the Nell Gwyn Stakes was not disappointed despite ending up with another silver medal with Lundy's Lane.
"He went out to Dubai for the UAE Derby but it was all a bit last-minute and we weren't able to get the work into him that we wanted," he said.
"But the trip to Dubai made a man of him. We have just been getting him back after that, but I was pleased with him and he may go for either the Dee Stakes or the Chester Vase.
"Then when it comes to Derbys, it will either be a spaghetti lunch in Italy or jellied eels at Epsom.
"I think he will improve for the run and I am not completely ruling out the Guineas as you never say never."
Joint-favourites Battle Chant and Saturn both found disappointingly little in the closing stages.
But Michael Bell, the trainer of the latter, blamed his charge's hard-pulling antics for his effort in finishing fourth. "He definitely blew up, as I was predicting he would," said Bell.
"He was a bit keen early on but that was just because he was a fresh horse, and he was the same first time out as a two-year-old.
"He will improve for the run and if he comes back for the 2000 Guineas he would have to have a chance.
"In the Guineas, they will go a strong gallop, nothing ever pulls in that race, and that will suit him better."
