RACING:SÉAMUS HEFFERNAN has hailed Saturday's victory on board So You Think in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown as one of his biggest thrills in racing.

Heffernan had already ridden the Aidan O’Brien-trained superstar to victory in the Mooresbridge Stakes, but was replaced by Ryan Moore in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, and when the five-year-old suffered a shock defeat in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

In his native Australia, So You Think has a huge army of followers and there was disbelief in his homeland when he was beaten at Royal Ascot.

But he restored his reputation in beating the Derby and Arc winner Workforce by half a length.

“It was one of the biggest thrills I’ve got out of racing,” said Heffernan. “There was a massive crowd there, it was a lovely sunny day and it came together.

“I wasn’t really sure what exactly would happen so myself and Aidan had discussed different options, but as long as the horse settled, we were sure we’d get the result we wanted.

“I was pretty confident going there. I have a lot of respect for Workforce, but I had a big belief in So You Think.

“As everyone knows he came from Australia with a huge reputation and it’s nice to get him this side of the world to see if he could do it here and he has proven that he could. He’s a very good horse.

“I’ve really no idea where he’ll be going next but I was just very pleased that I was on him.

“It was a very important day for me and the horse, he has a lot of people in Australia following him too so it was great for racing all over the world,” he said.

O’Brien raised the intriguing possibility of So You Think returning to Australia to seek a third Cox Plate after he enjoyed his first European Group One victory.

So You Think made his name Down Under for Bart Cummings and had already claimed a top-level success for new trainer O’Brien in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, but a clash with Michael Stoute’s Arc and Derby winner Workforce was another test entirely.

The pair went head-to-head down the Esher straight, with Moore and Workforce making the first move, but Heffernan and 4 to 6 favourite So You Think hit top gear in the final furlong and finished half a length up.

O’Brien, who felt he had left So You Think a little undercooked when beaten by Rewilding in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, said: “He was where we hoped to have him in Ascot, but those things don’t always work out.

“He’s got a lot of options now, he could go back to Australia for something like the Cox Plate, but we are trying to get the quarantine sorted and it’s not that simple.

“Otherwise, there is the Irish Champion Stakes and the Juddmonte International.”

Stoute was happy with Workforce and will work backwards from the Arc.

“You would have to go for the Arc again,” he said, “and we’ll have to see what races we take in the interim.

“We’ll have to chat to the owner. It would be nice (to go to the King George), but he’s a big fella and the ground they produced at Ascot last year was too fast. That would be a concern.”

O'BRIEN OUT OF LUCK IN FRANCE

Andre Fabre's Mutual Trust maintained his unbeaten record in the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly yesterday as he prevailed in a tight finish from Aidan O'Brien's Zoffany and Richard Hannon's Strong Suit.

After setting a steady early gallop, Strong Suit appeared a sitting duck for Mutual Trust, but when Richard Hughes pressed his mount he found half a length.

Ryan Moore was asking Zoffany for his effort in behind but got going just too late.

Strong Suit was still in front 100 yards from the line, but Maxime Guyon on Mutual Trust found a bit extra to get up and win narrowly, with Zoffany just denying Strong Suit for second.