DARLEY DEWHURST STAKES (GROUP 1)

THE Aidan O’Brien team, in outstanding form all season, broke new ground at Newmarket on Saturday, sending out the first four in the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes.

U S Navy Flag, quickly away and crossing to the favoured stands’ rails, led home Mendelssohn, Seahenge and Threeandfourpence. Sir Michael Stoute’s red-hot favourite Expert Eye ran no race at all and dropped out to finish last.

Like several former champions, Ryan Moore often bosses things in top-class races. Successful in the Middle Park over six furlongs, U S Navy Flag has a sprinter’s speed and was able to move across without causing any problems.

Driven along quite firmly from three furlongs out, he kept finding and stayed the extra furlong in style, passing the post with two and a half lengths to spare. Sent off at 5/1, it is fair to say he never faced a serious challenge from start to finish.

The days of nursing two-year-olds along with a major juvenile target and next year in mind are over as far as Ballydoyle is concerned. This was U S Navy Flag’s 10th start and be became the first horse since Diesis in 1982 to complete the Middle Park-Dewhurst double. For once, Galileo’s influence was not all-embracing, although he sired the winner’s dam Misty For Me. U S Navy Flag is by War Front, while the second and third are by Scat Daddy.

“I think U S Navy Flag was overlooked, probably,” O’Brien said. “He’s a Middle Park winner but a full-brother to Roly Poly, who was good over six furlongs but even better each time she stepped up in trip. He has a good chance of getting a mile.”

Moore is sparing with his compliments but the trainer impresses him more and more.

“To have the first four is a great achievement,” he said. “All four have taken a big step forward and I’d expect them all to be even better next year.”

U S Navy Flag may take his place in the team for the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. Meanwhile, O’Brien goes into Champions Day needing only one more Group or Grade 1 winner to equal Bobby Frankel’s record of 25 in a season and it seems highly likely that he will be out on his own well before 2017 draws to a close.

“We’d be very honoured but we don’t think about it as a long-term thing,” he admitted. “We take each race and each day as it comes. It’s a team effort.”

The stands’ side was the place to be on Saturday and bookmakers took that into account when revising their prices on the Qipco 2,000 Guineas, with Ladbrokes offering a seemingly generous 10/1.

Expert Eye is out to 12/1 in one or two places after a wretched performance which saw him jump out well but race keenly before finding nothing at all for Andrea Atzeni. Stoute was mystified but from the Glorious Goodwood meeting to here is well over two months and there were reports that the horse had suffered a slight setback in the interim. That made 4/7 a very unattractive price.