Gorgeous George - An Appreciation

[NoChanceToDance]

A lovely piece from Racing Post......

George Washington: the mercurial star who tested all O'Brien's training skills



by Nick Grant and Thomas Deane
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WITH the unceremonious passing of George Washington at Monmouth Park, racing has undoubtedly lost one of its greatest equine entertainers.

For mighty few horses are blessed with the ability he possessed, and far fewer garner such interest and crowd-pulling power as the mercurial son of Danehill.

Racegoers flocked to the track each time he set foot on a racecourse, hoping to witness 'Gorgeous George' in full flight, as he was when winning the 2,000 Guineas and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last year.

Yet all too soon for the Flat-racing cognoscenti, the bluebloods that light up our summersare typically whisked off to stud at the end of their three-year-old careers.

And so it was with George Washington.

But after apparently being lost to the racing public forever, the colt that tested Aidan O'Brien to the maximum was back for more after failing to cut the mustard in his first attempt as a stallion.

This presented the masterful O'Brien with yet another examination, which he openly admitted at a stable open day earlier in the year.

Speaking then, O'Brien said: "His mind gets unravelled and put back together again.

"I've always thought he was mentally immature, but as (last) year went on he got better.

"I haven't had one come back to me from stud before so it will be interesting to see how he takes to it again now."

George Washington's dramatic return in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot seemed to indicate he had taken to it extremely well.

A closing fourth behind Godolphin's superstar Ramonti suggested the fires were still burning before attention was turned to a clash with Derby hero Authorized in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

In what proved a slight anti-climax, George Washington finished a close third with Authorized just ahead as Notnowcato ruined the party.

O'Brien's star was never again seen in action in Britain, as he took a fast-finishing third in the Prix du Moulin before the bandwagon rolled to America for a second cut at the Breeders' Cup Classic.

The 2006 fairytale ended in defeat when he was beaten into sixth, only seven lengths adrift of arguably the best horse in the world in Invasor, on his first attempt on dirt and over 10 furlongs.

Yet the 2007 trip ended in disaster, as a struggling George Washington was pulled up by Mick Kinane as they rounded the final turn, having reportedly suffered an open fracture of both sesamoid bones.

A sombre Kinane praised the courage shown by his mount, saying: "He did well to stay up. He was brave. He didn't go down. He stayed up on it. He saved me."

So as the curtain came down on George's enthralling career, courage was another virtue added to the many already printed in previous articles.

After slamming his rivals in the 2,000 Guineas last season, O'Brien's charge famously refused to enter the winner's enclosure, after which the Ballydoyle maestro said: "He saw the other horses going in the other direction and he didn't want to follow.

"Physically he is mature, but mentally he is still like a child. He is getting better, but after he had just done so much to please us I didn't want to get into an argument with him.

"He's a horse who always thought he was so superior to his companions, from the time he was born. He developed this attitude that he is absolutely different class to every other animal around. It's all part of his make-up. He can intimidate other horses just by looking them in the eye."

Sadly, the horse O'Brien proclaimed "unbelievably special" after winning the QEII, and only last week labelled as "the one who can do anything", would not return to unsaddle at all at Monmouth Park.

And while the racing world has been robbed of an undoubted darling of the turf, the incredible story of George Washington will never be forgotten.


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I thought i would post that here. It deserves to have it's own thread.

I will never forget that day at Newmarket after he won the 2,000 Guineas. I was stood right next to the horse when he refused to enter the paddock after the race. I remember seeing him turn his head and seeing his good friend Horatio getting unsaddled. George stuck his head up in the air and just stopped, as if to say "screw you, if he's not going, nor am i" they tried and tried to push him forward, but there was no way he was moving. They took him to be unsaddled with the others and was then more than happy.

I will remember him as a star. The brightest stars burn always burn out quickly. A star, but such a character, which made him different from any other horse.

He is reunited with his good friend, Horatio Nelson now, and i'm sure they are having fun