Dawn Approach ran out a fantastic winner of the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket to give trainer Jim Bolger his first win in the Classic.
Unbeaten during a champion juvenile season, Kevin Manning had the 11 to 8 favourite in the perfect position throughout alongside his market rival Toronado.
Richard Hughes was sending out distress signals on Toronado once Dawn Approach kicked on, however, and it was left to the 150 to 1 outsider Glory Awaits to chase him home but he was some five lengths away. Van Der Neer was third.
Dawn Approach had a pacemaker in the shape of Leitir Mor but they were drawn wide apart and Manning found himself alongside Hughes and Toronado as the race began to take shape.
Kevin Ryan’s Glory Awaits was racing on his own in the middle of the track but was still in front with a furlong and a half to run.
That was when Dawn Approach moved up the gears, though, and the race was soon over as a contest.
Glory Awaits ran out of his skin to cling on for second while Van Der Neer passed his Richard Hannon stablemate Toronado on the line for third.
Paddy Power make Dawn Approach their 5 to 2 favourite for the English Derby.
Bolger said: “He was very impressive, we’re very happy with him and he galloped right to the line.
“I don’t know about the Derby, Sheikh Mohammed and myself said we would sleep on it and take it from there.
“If he wants to go, I’d be very happy to. We have to see how he comes out of this but he’s hardy and I’m sure he’ll be fine.
“I’m sure he can only improve from here as that’s his first time on a racecourse this year.”
Manning was similarly impressed with Dawn Approach’s performance.
“He’s a very special horse, he’s done it very easy and travelled very well throughout the race,” said Manning.
“I didn’t want to get there too soon and when I asked him to quicken, he just picked up.”
When asked about the colt’s ability to stay the mile-and-a-half trip in the Derby, he said: “It’s another day’s work.
“He’s got a fantastic temperament, he was cruising here and he’s very easy to switch off in a race. If he’s going to get the trip, he’s got the temperament for it.”
Dawn Approach is owned by Bolger and Godolphin, who snapped up a share in the colt for an undisclosed fee after he won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot last June.
Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the Godolphin operation, was making his first trip to the track since the Mahmood Al Zarooni drugs scandal to see Dawn Approach.
He said: “I’m very, very happy to come and see a good horse winning the Guineas and I think he is a great horse.”
Sheikh Mohammed was asked if he had thought about bypassing a trip to Newmarket in light of former Godolphin trainer Al Zarooni’s eight-year ban after admitting administering anabolic steroids to 15 horses in his care.
He said: “I always face a challenge.”
When asked about the British Horseracing Authority investigation into the incident, Sheikh Mohammed replied: “That’s up to them.”
Richard Hannon jnr had no real excuses for the vanquished Toronado, about whom connections were so bullish before the race.
“It looked like developing into a match a furlong out but our horse didn’t really come home, it was very disappointing,” said Hannon jnr.
“Obviously the winner is a very good horse and well done to Jim Bolger, he’s pretty good, isn’t he?
“Hughesie said he felt like he’s been in a two-mile chase, he felt legless, he was just going up and down.
“Whether there’s something on him, I don’t know. We’ll do all the tests to see if anything is wrong but apart from that, I didn’t see too many excuses to be honest. He was beaten by a very good horse fair and square.”
