O'Brien success at Sandown with So You Think

So You Think mowed down Workforce in a thrilling finish to the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown this afternoon.

Workforce's pacemaker Confront went to the lead as anticipated in the early stages of the 10-furlong Group One, but Ryan Moore was happy to let Workforce run to the lead rounding the turn for home.

Seamie Heffernan soon followed him through on 4-6 favourite So You Think, but Workforce pulled a couple of lengths clear and it appeared at that stage as though the Derby and Arc winner would claim another notable victory.

But the complexion of the race changed inside the final furlong and So You Think managed to eat into the leader's advantage, getting by him when it mattered to record a half-length success in a pulsating race.

Last year's runner-up Sri Putra put up another fine effort in defeat, finishing third.

William Hill make the Aidan O'Brien-trained So You Think 9-4 from 4-1 for the King George, while he is 4-1 (from 7-1) for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Heffernan said: "He's just a very good horse and things went smoothly today. I was delighted to be on him.

"It was a nice pace and it was just like a piece of work as I had a good horse leading me. Hopefully he can keep this up.

"He might have been a little bit fresh going to Ascot (when narrowly beaten in the Prince of Wales's Stakes) and things just didn't go smoothly. He probably did well to come second there."

O'Brien said of the giant Australian import: "Everything went great, he settled lovely and we are delighted with him.

"He was where we hoped to have him in Ascot, but those things don't always work out. He's a smart horse and Ascot left him right for today.

"Seamie followed Ryan and the race started three (furlongs) down. Seamie just sat away, angled him out and he's won nicely. He gave him a lovely ride.

"I'm delighted for everybody who has put in a lot of hard work.

"He's got a lot of options now, he could go back to Australia for something like the Cox Plate (which he has won twice), but we are trying to get the quarantine sorted and it's not that simple.

"Otherwise, there is the Irish Champion Stakes and the Juddmonte International.

"He's a horse who gets a mile and a quarter but has a miler's pace.

"As long as he settles, with the speed that he has, the sky is always going to be the limit.

"We wouldn't see going beyond a mile and a quarter being a problem, so everything is open."

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Workforce's owner Khalid Abdullah, said: "Everything went accordingly and he has run a very decent race.

"Ryan said that maybe the ground was quick enough for him, but he felt it was a pretty decent run.

"We've not been beaten out of sight and we've got two or three fairly obvious options to think about."

Roger Varian said of Sri Putra: "It was well worth coming for the prize money and he has been beaten by two very good horses."

Dual Oaks winner Snow Fairy was fourth on her first run since winning the Hong Kong Cup in December, having missed last weekend's Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland due to the rain-softened ground.

He trainer Ed Dunlop said: "That was almost exactly what I expected. She hit a bit of a flat spot and the track didn't suit her.

"I tried to tell the world that she needed this run and the next stop will be the Nassau Stakes."

Workforce's trainer, Michael Stoute, said: "We're very pleased with that run. The winner is a very good horse and ours is a very good horse.

"You have to be pleased with that considering our horse's best form is over a mile and a half.

"We'll have to go for the Arc at the end of the year and work our way back from that and see what we do in the interim."