Darkness Falls beats Desert Castle in Dewhurst as O’Brien targets Triple Crown

Darkness Falls defeated Desert Castle in the Group One Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday, giving trainer Aidan O'Brien a second winner on the card and prompting connections to identify next season's Triple Crown as an ambition. Ryan Moore rode the winner in the five-runner, seven-furlong contest, according to Greg Wood's reporting for the Guardian from the Future Champions meeting.

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Jassas led early, with Darkness Falls racing close behind and Desert Castle travelling in fourth. Darkness Falls moved ahead as the leader came under pressure, then accelerated again when Desert Castle challenged. The favourite could not get past before the finish, leaving Darkness Falls with a narrow victory. The Guardian's result listed Darkness Falls first and Desert Castle second.

The success came after Darkness Falls had won the Group One Golden Fleece over nine furlongs at Leopardstown in September. Dropping back by two furlongs for the Dewhurst presented a different test. O'Brien said afterwards that asking the colt to win over the shorter distance had been a significant decision, while expressing confidence that he would also cope with longer trips in future.

O'Brien identified the Triple Crown as a goal, and Coolmore's MV Magnier also confirmed that it would be a target next season. Magnier pointed to the colt's ability to return from nine furlongs to seven as evidence of the speed needed for the 2,000 Guineas. Those comments set out the connections' hopes rather than confirming that Darkness Falls will contest all three races.

The colt's sire, Camelot, came close to completing the series in 2012, winning the 2,000 Guineas and Derby before finishing behind Encke in the St Leger. The Guardian noted that Nijinsky, in 1970, remains the most recent Triple Crown winner. That family history explains why the possibility featured so prominently in the reaction to the Dewhurst result.

Darkness Falls also completed a Newmarket double for O'Brien after Drumbeat won the Zetland Stakes earlier in the afternoon. The Guardian reported that the two victories brought the trainer nearly £400,000 in prize money, putting him neck-and-neck with Andrew Balding in the trainers' championship ahead of the following week's Champions Day meeting at Ascot.