Galen (3/1F) is set to add more stamps to his passport after taking a quality edition of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises Bentinck Conditions Stakes over nine furlongs.
The five-year-old performed admirably overseas last winter for Joseph O’Brien, including finishing second in the G2 Bahrain International Trophy and fourth in the G1 Hong Kong Cup.
Sent to the front by Dylan Browne McMonagle, Galen had his six rivals under pressure entering the final two furlongs and kept on gamely to fend off Boiling Point by a neck. Last year’s G2 Celebration Mile victor Jonquil was half a length further back in a bunched finish for third.
Browne McMonagle said: “Galen loves getting to the lead and getting control. He has got a big stride and likes to get into his own rhythm. I was very comfortable the whole way, did not get too much hassle, and was able to build it up going past the three. I did not really have to commit him until well inside the two-furlong pole and I knew that, when we got that far without going for 100 per cent, they were going to do well to get past.
“He just wants to please you. He sticks his head out and is very genuine. It is a well-deserved win because he has been turning up at all these big meetings, just getting touched off, while always running his race. There are a few of the connections here today, which is great, and they are having a good day out.
“He is a beautiful mover who covers loads of ground. He flicks over the top of it and that is the key for him on fast ground. I am sure he will be going overseas again. He travels very well as he is a very easy-going horse. He is able to compete at all the big festivals, so I am sure he will be going around the world again, wherever Joseph places him. Hopefully, that will give him a bit of confidence and he can go forward again.”
Karl Burke said of Boiling Point, who won the Listed Fitzdares Festival Stakes at the course in May: “I am delighted with him, bar not winning! He is such a dude of a horse. The winner got a bit of an easy lead, I think. Maybe we could have gone earlier… look, it is all ifs and buts. Hindsight is a great thing.
“He is entered in the Celebration Mile, so that is a possibility back here. He obviously loves the track, having won a Listed race. Anything from a mile to a mile and a quarter would suit. A mile is probably just on the short side, a mile and a furlong is probably perfect, while a mile and a quarter just stretches him. He is a great horse to have.”
Jonquil’s trainer Andrew Balding said: “Very pleased, he certainly stayed the extra furlong. We will look at the Strensall now – the conditions of that race might suit him a bit better.”
Burke was on the right side of a driving finish 35 minutes later as Revels (11/1) got up to beat Dubai Champion by a short-head in the Hawes & Curtis Nursery Handicap over six furlongs.
The form ties in with yesterday’s nursery winner Sword Salute, who Revels beat decisively on debut at Redcar before the duo finished down the field in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Burke said: “Revels won his maiden over seven furlongs at Redcar and seemed to stay it well, but obviously that was against maiden horses, albeit the third won here yesterday for Charlie Johnston. I went into Ascot thinking we had a good chance in the Chesham and he did not see out the last furlong, although some very good judges told me not to go to Ascot with Lope De Vegas as they do not get going until after Ascot. They were proved right.
“I think he would have been an unlucky loser today. He just got blocked a couple of times a furlong out and again between the two and the one. I thought he was not quite going to get there, but Sam [James] gave him a great ride and, fair play to the horse, he battled well.
“We will see what the handicapper does, but he deserves to go into at least Listed class. I think he could develop into a nice Group horse. I am not sure we have got him in the Gimcrack, which might be a bit strong, but we have him in the Mill Reef and that might be a nice option, with a run before. It is a nice prize and you usually get a little bit of juice in the ground, which the Lope De Vegas like, although he handled this quick ground well.”
Sam James said: “We always thought Revels was a lovely horse. We maybe got him slightly wrong in the Chesham because we thought seven furlongs was more his trip, although the way he ran in the Chesham, he was the last one off the bridle before fading late on. Obviously, you really have to stay at Ascot.
“Karl and I discussed it and said dropping back to six furlongs here might benefit him. He is maturing and, being a Lope De Vega, they seem to get better with age. I think he will have no problem going further next year. At the minute, though, he is showing that bit of speed and we will probably leave it as it is for now.”
Ben Haslam said of the runner-up: “Dubai Champion may have been a tad unlucky by his own doing as he was a little slow away and Ryan [Moore] was probably on the back foot because of that. He got a bit of traffic and then landed in front early enough. Everything that could have gone wrong probably went wrong and he still nearly won. He is a talented animal. We are gutted not to win, but he is obviously a nice horse for the future. There is a nursery at York in three weeks over six furlongs. That sharp, fast six will suit him because he has a lot of speed.”
Charlie Appleby will be hoping Into The Light (2/1F) can emulate his previous winner of the World Pool Bet With The tote Handicap, with the Newmarket trainer having taken the 11-furlong contest with subsequent G1 scorer Walton Street in 2017.
Fitted with first-time cheekpieces, Into The Light comfortably defeated Devil’s Peak by almost two lengths under William Buick to bounce back from a mid-field finish in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Addressing the application of headgear, Appleby said: “When he was second at Sandown, he was slow away and Will got off him a bit frustrated and said, ‘I should have won that. I have done all my best work over the last furlong, but he did not help me early doors.’
“We thought stepping up to a mile and a half at Ascot that he might be too keen with the cheekpieces on. We know in that sort of race you can get fired up with the occasion, so we left them off and I felt he never really gave Will much of a chance.
“His homework had been good and we only chucked the cheekpieces on yesterday morning. I said, ‘Let us fire them on now, we need a winner!’ We put them on yesterday and they did not light him up, so we were happy for him to run with them. It helped William get him into a better rhythm, travel a bit better and put the race to bed when he wanted to.
“William said he will get further. He is a first foal and I think he is a progressive handicapper. We will see where we get to.”
Buick said: “There was good form from the race at Sandown in the spring behind Lost Boys, who obviously won at Royal Ascot. We really thought we would go into the King George V with a great chance and, obviously, the winner following up in the Gordon yesterday proved it was a good race, but we were somewhat disappointed with him there.
“He has always been a very straightforward horse and the cheekpieces probably helped him a little bit. I thought he put up a very good performance, was very professional and is probably a horse who is going to improve further down the line.”
Unexposed Wathnan Racing filly Silver Lake (4/5F) rounded off the action with a comfortable success in the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Handicap for William Haggas and Saffie Osborne.
Successful on her handicap debut over the same 10-furlong distance at Salisbury, Silver Lake led entering the final two furlongs and extended nicely to beat Lady Dora Mae by three lengths.