Australia the great

The crowds flocked to York on Wednesday to see the brilliant Australia (3c Galileo-Ouija Board, by Cape Cross) and he didn’t disappoint his admirers as the Galileo colt stormed away with the G1 Juddmonte International.

The brilliant G1 Derby and G1 Irish Derby hero was stepping back in trip to 10 furlongs but was in no way inconvenienced as jockey Joseph O’Brien waited patiently before hitting the front three furlongs from home to defeat G1 Prix du Jockey-Club hero The Grey Gatsby (3c Mastercraftsman-Marie Vison, by Entrepreneur) by two lengths. Telescope (4c Galileo-Velouette, by Darshaan) finished third to complete a 1-2-3 for Coolmore sires.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien revealed that the winner was considerably heavier than when he won at Epsom and was concerned beforehand.

“He was ready for a racecourse gallop, that was where he was at,” the trainer told PA Sport. “His weight rose alarmingly in the last three weeks but the lads at home were very happy. He was a lot of kilos up on his Derby run - he was 15-20 kilos heavier - and that's a lot of weight.

“But Joseph said that leaving the paddock in the Derby he felt like he was a two- or three-year-old, but today leaving he felt like a five-year-old. There's such prize-money here and it's such a prestigious race that it's very hard to gallop him at a racecourse rather than bring him here.”

Looking to the future, O’Brien added: “We had in our head to come here and then Leopardstown (for the G1 Irish Champion Stakes on September 13) if everything went well."

Bred by Lord Derby’s Stanley Estate and Stud Company, Australia is a son of the Oaks and six-time G1 winner Ouija Board.