Doncaster beckons for Saratoga Springs

The two-year-old pecking order for 1997 will be completed in Saturday's Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster where Saratoga Springs will endeavour to show that Aidan O'Brien's strength in depth for next season's classics means Xaar has no easy route to Guineas and Derby glory. Saratoga Springs became O'Brien's 200th winner in Ireland this year when easily landing Saturday's Group Three Juddmonte Beresford Stakes at the, in hindsight, remarkably generous odds of 7 to 4. Now though he is being aimed at Group One level.

"He had to come and work away from home anyway to sharpen him up so we ran him here. We treated today's race as his last piece of serious work for Doncaster and he enjoyed it out there," O'Brien said only minutes after watching Xaar destroy his Dewhurst opposition at Newmarket, including the trainer's Impressionist, who finished a well-beaten third.

It looked a performance to make any of Xaar's potential rivals quake but O'Brien, whose Grand Criterium winner Second Empire is now demoted to 5 to 1 second favourite for the Guineas, happily took it on the chin.

"Xaar looked very impressive and it proved that the French two-year-old form is the best form. But Second Empire beat the same horse Xaar beat in the Salamandre (Charge D'Affairs) in the Grand Criterium and did it on bottomless ground," he said with the air of a man relishing rather fearing future battles.

The teak tough Saratoga Springs appears to have a similar attitude to his racing and with the mile of the Racing Post ahead of him, his trainer commented: "He's crying out for that trip and a strong gallop. We only visored him in the past to sharpen him because all he does at home is eat and sleep."

The same could never be said of O'Brien who proceeded to make it 202 in Ireland when Antapoura won the October Handicap in the absence of her top weighted stable companion Theatreworld and Code Of Honour took the Sallins Race.

Code Of Honour is now off to Hollywood Park and the Breeders Cup but only in the role of lead horse and companion to the 12furlong Turf hopeful Desert King.

The Group Two Blandford Stakes didn't have a Ballydoyle runner and the fast improving Quws took full advantage to beat Spirit Of Tara by a length and a half.

Kevin Prendergast's Cambridgeshire winner arrived cantering on the scene in the straight but had to be pushed out by Stephen Craine to win.

"When he gets to the front, he's very lazy," Prendergast explained. "He's off to Dubai for the winter but I hope to have him back next season." The race favourite Rayouni finished second last and was afterwards found to be in respiratory distress.

Burden Of Proof notched up the third Listed win of his career when gamely hanging on from Alarme Belle and the slightly unlucky in the running Orange Grouse to win the Waterford Testimonial Stakes for Charles O'Brien and Pat Smullen.