Fasliyev fortunate to survive

Fasliyev did his level best to throw the Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes away by remaining anything but level in the last furlong of yesterday's Group 1 feature.

The unbeaten Aidan O'Brien trained colt hung further to the left than Lenin throughout the closing stages yet still won by a length and a half despite ending up on the grandstand rail.

"Why wasn't there a gate to let him run out!" quipped Kevin Prendergast whose Yara finished runner-up for the seventh straight time.

It reflected the bemusement over a 2 to 7 favourite that on all known form was supposed to win with the minimum of fuss. Instead, we got a touch of theatre.

"The horse is 540 kilos. I'm 50 kilos. It's a bad match," said Michael Kinane who did everything to try and keep Fasliyev straight without success.

The jockey was inclined to blame the "yielding to soft" ground. O'Brien said Fasliyev had got lazy since his Royal Ascot success and owner Michael Tabor commented: "He was awesome at Ascot and the ground must have been a factor here."

There may be something to all of those excuses but the five other runners had no problems keeping straight and despite criticisms of the quality of the race, Yara and Buffalo Berry will now be recorded as being Group 1 placed.

The Prix Morny at Deauville is being mentioned as a target for Fasliyev, although O'Brien's Prix Robert Papin winner Rossini has also been mentioned for that Group 1.

However the Ballydoyle trainer said: "This horse wants to race and we can't step down a grade. He was going so easily in front, just dawdling, and he might be too relaxed now."

After seven runner-up places in her seven career starts, Yara is anything but too relaxed although Prendergast was entitled to some frustration. "She has run her best race and still come second. Seven out of seven must be nearly a record," he shrugged.

The Sean Graham organisation left Fasliyev's 2,000 Guineas price unchanged at 14 to 1 and it may be significant that the Nureyev colt didn't race in the early stages yesterday with the smooth fluidity he showed in the Coventry Stakes.

Smoothness was a luxury however on the rain softened ground yesterday. The likely favourite Arkadian Hero was taken out of the Group 3 Sprint soon after racing started because of the ground but it didn't stop English stables saddling the first four home.

Gary Carter bounced Gorse out of the stalls to make all but it was a diminishing half a length that Gorse held on by as the slow away Grazia finished well. The Ballydoyle team had more straightforward successes with Genghis Khan in the Broadford Race and High King in the August Handicap.

Genghis Khan is a possible for York's Great Voltigeur after forcing most of the pace to come home clear of Maid Of Killeen and the favourite Blend Of Pace. "The Irish Derby was probably too soon for him but he's an improving horse," said O'Brien.

High King made all to win by three parts of a length from Rainbows Forever but the most relieved trainer yesterday was Pat Flynn who saddled his first winner of the season with Boley Lass in the seven furlong handicap.