Reverence prevails in Nunthorpe

A gutty performance by Reverence on rain softened ground at York on Thursday landed him the Group 1, $420,000 Nunthorpe Stakes at five furlongs.

Reverence and eventual runner-up Amadeus Wolf went to the front together in the Nunthorpe, but at the three-sixteenth pole, jockey Kevin Darley pushed Reverence to the lead. He went on to prevail by two lengths, covering the distance in 1:00.68, well off Oasis Dream's track mark of 56.20 seconds. Dandy Man, the 4-1 favorite, and Enticing, who went off at 11-1, both raced prominently before fading to finish 12th and 13th in the 14-runner field.

Trained by Eric Alston, Reverence will next head to France for the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp on Oct. 1.

* Aidan O'Brien said that his 2000 Guineas winner, George Washington, worked well Thursday morning and will head to Goodwood for the Group 2 Celebration Mile on Sunday. Last year's European 2-year-old champion, George Washington has been out of action since injuring hip muscles when he finished second to Araafa in the Irish 2000 Guineas on May 27.