Imperial Fighter made an impressive winning introduction for Andrew Balding in the British European Breeders Fund EBF Maiden Stakes over seven furlongs.
The son of The Gurkha – who won the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes in 2016 – was pushed out by Oisin Murphy to score in decisive fashion.
The 9/1 chance defeated Ring Of Beara (3/1) by two and a half lengths, with a further gap of three lengths back to Capital Theory (22/1) in a well strung-out field. The first three were all making their debuts.
It was a fifth win of the meeting for Balding, helping him claim the Leading Trainer title for the week.
Balding said: “Imperial Fighter has been shaping nicely at home and I liked him.
“I didn’t know if he would handle the ground, but he obviously has and looks a very nice horse going forward.”