The regally bred Mudbir (4/1) secured his third win of the season in the seven-furlong Whispering Angel Handicap, although the son of Kingman had to survive a stewards’ enquiry.
Mudbir and Dance In The Storm (14/1) were separated by a short-head at the line, having bumped close home, but the placings remained unaltered.
John & Thady Gosden’s winner is from the Shadwell family of Mostahdaf and Nazeef, who both won G1 prizes for the stable.
Thady Gosden said: “Mudbir is a brave horse and, when the second came to him, he picked up again. He ran a nice race at Sandown last time. He is from a wonderful Shadwell family. The mare Handassa is the dam of two Group One winners already. He is going to improve, as he wandered around under pressure and is still relatively inexperienced.’’
Crowley said: “We were drawn one in a big field and you always need a bit of luck from that draw. Mudbir broke okay and I had to come between horses – it was a tight gap and he got a smack across the face, which didn’t help. He is still very inexperienced and, when he hit the front, he was running around a bit underneath me.
“I always felt he was holding the second. When we went in and watched the head on, he shifted a little bit, but I felt the second shifted more so than he did. He is still learning and has not run on this sort of track before. He will have learnt more today than on his last three starts, so I would like to think he will take a nice step forward.
“I think he’d probably be better on a quicker surface, as he is a lovely moving horse. He is from a very talented family. I think it will be baby steps with him. He has big boots to fill and hopefully he will continue to progress.”
Andrew Balding said of Dance In The Storm: “It was a smashing run. She had a tough draw [14] and has come out of it with a lot of credit. David [Probert] was fairly confident we would get it in the stewards’ enquiry, but it is an independent decision.’’
Isaac Newton looks another Aidan O’Brien juvenile to follow after shedding his maiden tag at the second attempt in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden over seven furlongs.
Runner-up to stablemate New Zealand at the Curragh, the son of Camelot took a while to hit top gear before picking up well to beat Evanesco (14/1) by a neck.
Ryan Moore said of the 8/13 favourite: “Isaac Newton ran a lovely race. He had a very good run first day at the Curragh and the third [Action] has just won at Galway, so the form looks fairly good.
“I suppose seven furlongs on this track wouldn’t be ideal for him, but they went a good gallop. He has done everything right, got into a nice rhythm and stayed on well, showing a very good attitude.
“You would have to be very happy with what he did today. He is a straightforward horse that will continue to improve from race to race.”
Evanesco’s trainer Charlie Johnston, who has had three seconds and three thirds at the meeting, said: “He is a horse we have always liked. I was a bit underwhelmed with him first time out – I was expecting more. We wouldn’t have brought him here if we didn’t think he was a smart horse. We felt he had taken a good step forward at home and he has shown that today. He is a smart colt for the future.’’
The closing nine-furlong Coral Golden Rewards Shaker Handicap went the way of Andrew Balding’s Gladius, with the 11/8 favourite holding Whip Cracker (17/2) by a head.
Balding said: “Gladius had to do it the hard way. He was posted a little bit wide, but William [Buick] has done a lovely job.
“He is a lovely horse. He doesn’t show a huge amount at home, so each time we have run him it has been a pleasant surprise. Hopefully, he can keep going because he keeps improving.
“He has won a handicap today off 94 and we will probably go for another handicap in my opinion, but we need to discuss that with his partners.”
William Buick said: “Gladius knuckled down well. The ground out there, it’s the last race of five days so it’s tiring, tacky and hard work.
“He really kept finding and, when the second horse came to him, I think he found again. He is a good straightforward horse that I think will keep on improving.
“He is very easy to ride. You can place him anywhere, he will relax and then he is there for you when you need him.”
Whip Cracker’s trainer Richard Hughes said: “He has run a blinder and I am thrilled with him. I thought the race was tailor-made for him, but he came up against a well-handicapped horse who had a good trip round. I have him entered next Thursday in the Chelmsford City Cup.’’