O'SULLEVAN LEADS TRIBUTES
By Thomas Deane, PA Sport
Sir Peter O'Sullevan led the tributes to George Washington following the demise of Aidan O'Brien's star in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
'Gorgeous George' was put down after being pulled up by Mick Kinane shortly after entering the straight, having reportedly suffered an open fracture of both sesamoid bones.
Legendary commentator O'Sullevan says George Washington will be sorely missed and points to his eccentricities amplifying the interest his every move garnered from the public.
"He was the sort of charismatic character that racing needs and is a seriously sad loss because he was a proper personality and liked things done his own way," O'Sullevan said.
"I think he appealed enormously to individuals because of his individualistic approach, which was very refreshing.
"He was a really exciting character and it was great that he attracted the soubriquet 'Gorgeous George' as it seemed very appropriate. He was a lovely horse and it was a terribly sad end."
George Washington presented Aidan O'Brien with an unusual test when returning to training earlier this season following an unsuccessful first attempt at stallion duties.
O'Sullevan added: "I have such sympathy for those associated with him in the yard because they have a very personal feel for their horses at Aidan's and they are a great team.
"They will really feel his loss in their hearts. It was a sad climax to the Breeders' Cup and a shame for the Americans too, as there were some wonderful performances on the night.
"It was tough that it should happen through no fault. One often refers to a sad loss in many walks of life, but this really is sad for the racing game."
George Washington won six of his 14 races, including four at the highest level, and accrued total prize money in excess of £800,000.
Many believe his best performance came in the 2000 Guineas of last year, when the mercurial colt produced a devastating turn of foot to run right away with the Newmarket Classic.
Subsequent Derby winner Sir Percy was two and a half lengths adrift at the line, which left his trainer Marcus Tregoning full of admiration for the Ballydoyle-trained conqueror.
Reflecting on George Washington's performance in the race, Tregoning said: "Obviously he was a phenomenal racehorse and on the day of the Guineas he was very, very good.
"We thought we would go extremely well with Sir Percy but (George Washington) was brilliant that day, and it's obviously very sad that they have lost him.
"I know he had been disappointing at stud the first time around but he was a Classic winner after all and it's a disaster really."
Tregoning could have been tempted to bid for Triple Crown glory with Sir Percy had George Washington not turned up at Headquarters, but conceded: "George Washington was just phenomenal in the Guineas.
"Sir Percy is obviously a horse that I will never forget but we bumped into a very good one that day."
Breeders' Cup vet Dr Wayne McIlwraith does not believe the sloppy racetrack was to blame for the irreparable injuries sustained by George Washington.
Monmouth Park was deluged with rain for the best part of 48 hours but McIlwraith was not inclined to blame the surface.
He said: "There's been no comparative work done scientifically as far as the nature of the track (is concerned).
"At times with a sloppy racetrack at the end of the day you could have some concerns because they are running in the base.
"Obviously the base is not made for them to be running on directly - it was a very sloppy track.
"The rest of the races have gone off well, but it's always a concern."
Dr McIlwraith also theorised fatigue could have played a part.
"Typically, these injuries occur in the last part of the race," he said.
"Horses are more fatigued so they have got less support to the joint. And that's when the injuries normally occur."
Dr McIlwraith pointed out that the predominantly turf-raced George Washington might have experienced greater physical stress by switching to dirt.
"He could have had trouble with being less coordinated on that, as he's used to racing on grass - those are possibilities," he added.
"We generally consider these fractures to start as associated with earlier damage, so they can sustain a small degree of damage and then it can escalate into a fracture.
"So it is quite possible, especially when you have a horse that's relatively inexperienced at that surface and racing on a different surface."
However, McIlwraith does not believe the decision to run George Washington in the Classic was injudicious.
"I was being asked for sort of possibilities, and you can certainly have many contributing factors," he said.
"But, no, I certainly did not imply that it's not a wise move (to switch to dirt)."
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