So much for Aidan O’Brien’s quiet start to the season. For the fifth time, the master of Ballydoyle took the first Classic of the year back to Co Tipperary. The surprise was not the nationality of the winner, only the identity. If there was going to be an Irish victory in the 200th running of the 2,000 Guineas, the odds were firmly on him coming from further east than Ballydoyle. New Approach, the strapping chestnut from Jim Bolger’s Coolcullen yard, had been talked up as the true champion all the way through the spring and yesterday acted for all the world as if the race was as good as won.

He was ponied to the start so slowly that the rest of the 15 runners were left to fry at the top of the Rowley Mile for at least an extra five minutes, and he dominated the race for 7½ of the eight furlongs. At the critical moment, however, when asked to quicken away from the chasing pack by jockey Kevin Manning, New Approach faltered just long enough for Johnny Murtagh on Henrythenavigator to pounce.

The finishing distance was a nose, a new term in British racing, but a stride or two past the post and New Approach’s unbeaten record would have remained intact. By such slender margins are reputations won and lost. In the winner’s enclosure afterwards, Bolger hid his disappointment behind a wry smile and congratulated Murtagh. “Round One,” he said. It’s actually Round Two because New Approach had downed the dark green colours of Sue Mag-nier before, in the Futurity Stakes at The Curragh in August. Another dominant victory in the Dewhurst swept the unbeaten New Approach into the territory of the winter wonder horse, a role played by Bolger’s Teofilo the year before. The pair are likely to meet again in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in three weeks’ time.

There was a touch of 2005 about the victory. Back then, Kieren Fallon had just taken over as stable jockey to Coolmore and the word about the Classic crop was not encouraging. But, come Guineas weekend, Coolmore swept the board, first with Footstepsinthesand and then Virginia Waters, which provides a decent omen for Kitty Matcham and Savethisdance-forme in the fillies Classic today.

Yesterday, with Fallon banned until the end of next season, Murtagh installed as his replacement in racing’s top job and a cloud hanging over O’Brien’s three-year-olds, Henrythenavigator was sent off at an almost unconsidered price of 11/1. The racing world should have known better, as O’Brien, in that gentle way of his, pointed out afterwards. His horse’s disappointing close to last season had been largely caused by the “winter ground”, he said, and his hopes had risen in roughly inverse proportion to the lowering of the water content in the Rowley Mile turf.

“He was always a good horse,” said O’Brien, who had produced King of Kings, Rock of Gibraltar, Footstepsinthesand and the imperious George Wash-ington to win the 2,000 Guineas. “He’s got sprinting speed and we knew he was a fast ground horse. We just worried that it was his first run [this season] and our horses were tending to improve with a run. But Johnny rode a masterful race on him. He let his speed carry him into the race and was super-confident.”

For Murtagh, this was as much a weight off the shoulders as victory for Fallon was three years ago. Fallon would have watched with a mixture of delight and horror at the way his successor conjured the decisive run out of the winner.

Murtagh’s previous 2,000 Guineas victory had come on Rock of Gibraltar six years ago in a race that was better known for the defeat of Hawk Wing, the Coolmore first string. The Rock went on to savage his critics with a series of Group One victories, but there is something of the same profile to Henrythenavigator, who is a miler good and proper and unlikely to be risked over the mile and a half of the Derby at Epsom.

New Approach, who has already scorned the premier English Classic, was gaining ground at the finish and looked far more likely to stay further than his conqueror. One of Henrythenavigator’s two juvenile victories was in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot over a sprinter’s six furlongs.

Ibn Khaldun, the highly fancied challenger from Godolphin, was one of the first under pressure and Raven’s Pass, the 4/1 second favourite, made up a huge amount of ground over the final furlong to finish fourth behind Stubbs Art, who was a 100/1 shot.

New Approach’s bold front-running display suited Murtagh to perfection, but at the furlong pole it seemed that the hot favourite had already spread-eagled his field. Murtagh was searching for room at the time, but once his mount had found a neat split, he set off in pursuit of New Approach, overhauling the leader barely 100 yards from the line.

“I had something to aim at,” said the Irishman. “I thought I was going to win well, but he tired a little at the end. He’ll improve for that.” Fireside, the horse that is part-owned by the Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, was in distress a long way from home and finished tailed off. Manning was later suspended for five days for excessive use of the whip on New Approach, while Murtagh earned a two-day ban for a similar indiscretion. Both seemed harsh decisions by the stewards.

Round Three it is.