Late-maturing Nayef finally comes of age

The virtue of patience was amply rewarded here yesterday when Nayef, the horse hyped as the second coming of Pegasus during last winter, finally came good. Ridden by Richard Hills, Sheikh Hamdan's handsome three-year-old put the disappointment of his spring campaign firmly behind him with a courageous and decisive three-quarter length defeat of Derby third Tobougg in the Champion Stakes to record the Group One victory his trainer, Marcus Tregoning, has always believed his talents deserved.

An unbeaten juvenile campaign, good looks and the fact that he is a half-brother to Nashwan ensured that Nayef was burdened with winter favouritism for the 2,000 Guineas and Derby. But his imposing physique proved his undoing, for he simply outgrew his strength during the close season. After a disappointing Guineas run, Tregoning waited, knowing that it was not a case of if, but when the colt would come good and three consecutive victories in lesser company proved the springboard to this triumph. The first two drew four lengths clear of outsider Indian Creek.

"I always knew we had the item," said Tregoning, who took up the reins at Hamdan's Kingwood Stables four years ago after the retirement of Dick Hern. "The horses have been in lightning form recently and Nayef has been heading for the top of the curve. When he was beaten in the spring, it took the pressure off and gave us the time to give him the time to find himself."

Nayef looks sure to make a magnificent four-year-old and will be aimed at all the top middle-distance races. But if there was not a horse here on Champions' Day to live up fully – at least yet – to the fixture's title, there was certainly a man. Aidan O'Brien, who will this year become the first Irishman since Vincent O'Brien in 1977 to win the British trainers' title, added to his haul of European Group One races this season when Rock Of Gibraltar gave his Ballydoyle yard number 19 in the Dewhurst Stakes.

It was only by inches that the Mick Kinane-ridden colt, who is part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson and carries his red-and-white colours, repelled stablemates Landseer and Tendulkar to give their trainer his second Group One clean sweep of the year, after Black Minnaloushe, Mozart and Minardi filled the first three places in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

Rock Of Gibraltar, last seen two weeks ago when he routed the opposition in the Grand Critérium at Longchamp, had to live up to his name yesterday, when he stood firm against a buffeting from no-hoper Prince Tulum and poked his nose in front of Landseer's in the last stride, with Tendulkar closing fast only a head away.

"A furlong down, I thought we'd be unlucky if one of them didn't win," said O'Brien, "but I didn't mind which it was." O'Brien's domination of the top-level two-year-old colts' races in Europe this year has been complete, having now won all six to have been run. Number seven takes place in Milan this afternoon, when O'Brien fields Sholokhov, and the stable has a block entry, headed by Castle Gandolfo, for the Racing Post Trophy on Saturday.

The Ballydoyle horses dominate the 2,000 Guineas betting, with Godolphin's Dubai Destination the only interloper among Hawk Wing, Johannesburg, Rock Of Gibraltar and Tendulkar, who pleased his trainer greatly on this return after suffering a broken pelvis earlier in the year, at the top of the lists.

If Group One juvenile races are the province of Ballydoyle, the Cesarewitch is becoming a Kingsclere benefit. Two years ago, Andrew Balding supervised the preparation of the winner, Top Cees – yesterday he supplied the first two, Distant Prospect and Palua, from his father Ian's Berkshire stable. The race was something of a bookies' benefit, too – although the winner was a 14-1 shot, the runner-up started at 66-1, the third Give Notice at 33-1 and the fourth Establishment was also 66-1. The 7-2 favourite, Alleluia, failed to settle and came in sixth.

Even if true equine brilliance was in short supply on the track, there are other qualities a horse can offer in competition and, in the opening Jockey Club Cup, Capal Garmon's gallant defiance of Invermark, Royal Rebel and San Sebastian almost cost him the ultimate price. As he returned exhausted to the winners' enclosure, he staggered and started to go down as oxygen deprivation kicked in and only the instant reaction of his trainer John Gosden saved his life.

Gosden wrapped himself round Capal Garmon, literally holding him up on his feet, as the little gelding was doused with bucket upon bucket of water to keep his temperature down. The drama lasted several minutes in front of a horrified crowd but, once the horse's muscle cramps and spasms, ceased he recovered quickly.

His effort over two miles yesterday came just 15 days after he had slogged through the mud into second place at Longchamp. "It just shows what they will do for you," said winning rider Kevin Darley. "This one is a true trier."