THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON GEORGE WASHINGTON

GEORGE WASHINGTON (37) earned rave reviews for his win in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes on Saturday. But I need to see more before I jump on the bandwagon. I'm always deeply suspicious of wide margin wins. I like to see a horse run a fast time when pressed before I'm convinced about its ability.

In the case of George Washington it's easy to go overboard about the time he ran because it was faster than the Group 3 for older horses run over the same trip alter on the card. But a comparison with races over other distances at the same meeting points clearly towards a speed rating no better than very good Group 2 borderline Group 1 for George Washington.

I'm not saying George Washington isn't a Group 1 horse. He may very well be. My point is that he has yet to justify the hype that now surrounds him. For this reason I see him as a horse to bet against rather than on in the near future.

AKRAM IS BETTER THAN A HANDICAPPER

AKRAM (38) hammered the useful Charismatic Cat by three lengths in a handicap at the Galway Festival. The time was pattern class by my estimates, so I'd bet on this unexposed John Oxx-trained three year old winning more races this term.

The interesting thing about Akram's win is that it came over an extended mile and he's bred to go a whole lot further. His trainer seems confident he'll get longer as well. I have a little dictum I follow; 'a horse is at its best at the outermost limits of its stamina'. In other words, if Akram does get further as I suspect then he ought to improve even more.

BEHKIYRA COULD BE ANYTHING

BEHKIYRA (36) cruised home in the Listed Martin Molony Stakes at Limerick, looking to have any amount in hand. Yet despite not being pushed to win she still earned a respectable speed rating for the class. She'll be facing rivals who have run faster in the Irish Oaks but it's hard to say that Behkiyra won't make the improvement required to beat them. She's won both her starts easily to date and could be anything.

ALEXANDER GOLDRUN BRILLIANT OVER 10F BUT VULNERABLE AT SHORTER

ALEXANDER GOLDRUN (42) has already beaten colts at Group 1 level and earned the sort of speed rating that level of form implies to take the Pretty Polly Stakes.

Having said that I will be keen to oppose Alexander Goldrun next time out if she is cut back to a mile for the Matron or Falmouth Stakes as her connections suggested after the race. In a dozen starts at trips short of ten furlongs Alexander Goldrun has never earned a speed rating better than 31 from me. In six starts at ten furlongs plus she's never earned a rating lower than 37.

The last time Alexander Goldrun ran less than ten furlongs was in the Dubai Duty Free where she got going too late before finishing sixth. The Falmouth and Matron Stakes are nearly a furlong shorter than the Duty Free. They are both Group 1 races, and at that level I just don't think Alexander Goldrun has got what it takes to score.

Runner-up RED BLOOM (41) ran fast enough to take most Group 1's for fillies and will surely be found an opportunity at the top level sometime this season. It's a real shame that ELOPA (41) broke down while finishing third. She looked to be well on her way to becoming a big international star.

NEW MORNING (41) only ran fourth, but in doing so she earned another big speed rating and showed that ten furlongs really does seem to be her best trip. Over this distance on fast ground she's tough to beat.

HAZARISTA (40) did remarkably well for a horse having her seasonal debut and running over a trip on the short side. She is surely going to improve on this and looks an interesting prospect for races like the Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille.

The Pretty Polly highlighted the huge jump in quality of older fillies and mares that has been brought about by the big increase in the number of European Group races for fillies and mares. It also demonstrated the mountain that the three year olds of either sex have to climb if they are to beat their elders in Group 1 company beyond a mile anytime soon.

As I've mentioned before, this year's crop of three year olds are a bit further behind their elders than usual. Four of them ran in the Pretty Polly Stakes, but none reached the first five. Best of them turned out to be MONA LISA (40) who ran her best ever race to finish a close sixth. It looks like ten furlongs on fast ground is what she wants.

HURRICANE RUN STILL HAS A LOT TO PROVE

Hurricane Run (38) hadn't run a top class time before he won the Irish Derby. And he still hasn't. Maybe he'll be able to do so in a race where there's a stronger early pace but I'm taking a negative view until he does.

Hurricane Run scrambled home from a horse that hardly looks a Group 1 runner on form. The time was ordinary. The form looks ordinary. This race seems to me to be just another example of the big gulf between the top middle distance three year olds and older horses that exists this year.

RIVALS SHOULD BE AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF

Past results show that the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Derby at the Curragh usually falls to a pattern class three year old. My speed ratings indicate the trend continued when VIRGINIA WOOLF (36) beat a decent rival in Down Mexico Way (35) to take this year's renewal.

John Oxx confirmed the idea that Virginia Woolf is pattern class when telling reporters after the race that the intention now is to win some black type with the filly. That shouldn't be too difficult if the clock is anything to go by.