O'Brien hotpot cooked by Mills colt

Terry Mills succeeded yesterday where plenty of the better-known trainers in Britain have failed, as he relegated Aidan O'Brien to the runner-up spot when Where Or When beat Della Francesca in the Somerville Tattersall Stakes at Newmarket.

After Johannesburg's Middle Park Stakes romp for O'Brien on Thursday, his Della Francesca was backed down to evens, but Mick Kinane, his jockey, was hard at work a quarter-mile from home in the seven-furlong contest and the favourite got going too late to catch the 6-1 shot Where Or When who held on by a head.

The winning trainer was not present to see the victory however, his son and assistant, Robert, explaining that "when he came back from Ascot last Saturday he had a glass of wine in a local bar and keeled over with a virus and has been in bed ever since".

Mills jnr reported that "we were shell-shocked that he got beaten" when Where Or When was fourth in the Solario Stakes at Sandown. The colt may now represent his Epsom team in the Group One Dewhurst Stakes.