GREATNESS is not bestowed in a fleeting moment. It is only accorded in racing after a career of longevity. Those deploying the word after George Washington had romped away with the Stan James 2,000 Guineas are jumping the gun, yet there was much to enthuse about the immensely talented bay.

Kieren Fallon has no doubts, insisting he has ridden none better. And while his victory on Saturday was sublime, the Aidan O’Brien-trained horse must accumulate a series of similar performances to stand alongside the best. The season’s opening classic is a starting point, not a destination, but in George Washington the sport has something about which to get genuinely excited.

Whether George Washington contests the Derby will be decided in due course. And if the colt really is as gifted as he appeared in scything down a competitive field, his ability to excel over the blue riband’s 12 furlongs is largely academic.

Class is a priceless asset and George Washington has it to spare. The son of Danehill can reasonably be expected to stay ten furlongs on pedigree. If he is true to his blood — and he dispelled many doubts on Saturday — he will survive the Derby’s final two furlongs on class alone.

The strain of expectation on O’Brien was evident in the moment of triumph. His contorted features demonstrated that victory had brought huge relief to this instinctive horseman. His spirits soared, though he was wary of a Derby challenge.

“Is it any advantage?” he asked. “I really didn’t believe that he would get a mile, so I don’t know. With elastic, you don’t want to stretch it too far. Would it be fair for a horse that has blistering speed? It just might be selfish to ask him.”

John Magnier, who part-owns the horse, was less committal. Much depends on how Horatio Nelson, a mildly disappointing eighth on Saturday, fares in his subsequent work. Horatio Nelson will not now contest the Derrinstown Derby Trial on Sunday week and could go straight to Epsom.

The rigours of Derby day are not the sort to which George Washington would warm. By his standards he behaved impeccably on Saturday, his wilful streak only manifesting itself in his reluctance to grace the winner’s enclosure. “He just wanted to go back out to the track,” O’Brien said. “You have a problem getting some horses out on the track, but not him.”

O’Brien went to great lengths to explain George Washington’s demeanour. “The reason he is like that is because he has been so much better than everything else all his life,” the trainer said. “He doesn’t believe any horse or human being should tell him what to do. We’ve never had a colt with such a domineering instinct. He can intimidate other horses just by looking at them.”

While not intimidated, Sir Percy, the runner-up, was outclassed by George Washington. Although he looks ready for a step up in trip, this small, active colt was among the hardest-trained on Saturday. Olympian Odyssey excelled in third and is to be pointed at the Irish 2,000 Guineas or the Derby. He will have to outrun his pedigree to feature at Epsom.

The obstacle to George Washington achieving greatness as a miler is his temperament. If properly harnessed, he will be desperately hard to beat. But great milers are not necessarily great racehorses. If George Washington is to scale such heights, he will need to be adventurously and imaginatively campaigned. The racing community awaits Ballydoyle’s next move with more than a little excitement.

BIG-RACE RESULT

3.15 STAN JAMES 2,000 GUINEAS STAKES (Group I: 3-Y-O: £187,374: 1m)

GEORGE WASHINGTON b c Danehill - Bordighera (Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith) 9-0 K Fallon (6-4 fav) 1.
Sir Percy b c Mark Of Esteem - Percy’s Lass (A Pakenham) 9-0

M Dwyer (4-1) 2. Olympian Odyssey b c Sadler’s Wells - Field Of Hope (W Gredley) 9-0

J P Spencer (33-1) 3.

ALSO RAN: 6 Horatio Nelson, 9 Amadeus Wolf, 10 Asset, 16 Killybegs, Opera Cape, 25 Red Clubs, 50 Final Verse (6th), Frost Giant, 66 Araafa (4th), Misu Bond (5th), 80 Close To You. 14 ran. 2l, 1l, l, l, l. A P O’Brien in Ireland. Tote: £2.70; £1.50, £2.00, £7.00. Exacta: £11.00. Trifecta: £346.70. CSF: £6.58.

Four arrested for fighting

FOUR people were arrested on Saturday after a fight broke out on the second-floor balcony of Newmarket’s Millennium grandstand. Police were called to a scene that quickly turned nasty when youths clashed violently. Three women were knocked to the ground in the mêlée, although none was seriously hurt. A decision on whether to charge the men will be made today.

Lisa Hancock, Newmarket’s managing director, said: “We had big numbers of police on hand and they were excellent. It was an unfortunate business which upset us as much as those who were affected.”