Dahlia Stakes report and reaction: Irish raider Jancis wins well

Levey played a patient game on the Willie McCreery-trained five-year-old, a Group 3 winner last year and placed in Listed company at Dundalk when last seen in November.

The tongue-tie worn for the first time on the all-weather that day was retained and Jancis relished chasing the strong pace set by 5/2 favourite Falakeyah, who ran very freely under Saffie Osborne.

The market leader still held the lead a couple of furlongs from home but she started to tread water heading into the Dip and she was passed by nearest pursuer Cathedral and the 18/1 shot Jancis.

Jancis found plenty for pressure towards the far side of the track on the final climb to the line and came out a length and three-quarters to the good, with Survie running on for third but another eight and a half lengths behind the gallant runner-up Cathedral.

McCreery said: “It was a lovely ride and things worked out beautifully and the ground suited her. The plan worked today. The race was suited to run, and we knew that would happen. Sean said what horse would go on, and he was bang on. I’m delighted for Sean, and I’m delighted to use him and I’m delighted for Arturo (Cousino, owner) as he is watching from Chile today.

“She had been running in good races last year and just getting chinned here and there. She ran a lovely race at Dundalk at the backend of last year and that gave us a lot of confidence. Her owner has had to be very patient with her. She is a beautifully moving filly and it is great for him.

“The mare was in foal with Jancis on the plane in Amsterdam to go on to America to go on to Chile and she went mad on the plane so they took her back to Ireland to foal this one and then she died two weeks after having this foal.

“She was due that and we didn’t want to hang on for the Group Two on Irish Guineas weekend just in case the weather changed. When we entered Monday I saw it was going to be quick ground and that quick ground really suits her. She rattled off that ground so I’m absolutely thrilled. It was an early target for her if the ground was going to be right. She is ground dependant as we can’t run her on soft ground.

“You would just knock her back by running on it as she just loves that quicker ground. They went a good gallop and I thought she wasn’t going to get there, but she showed a lot of heart there as she led from the furlong pole.

“After winning a Group Two the only thing to do is to try and get a Group One place. We will go to Royal Ascot now. Arturo has a farm in Chile so he will come off for Royal Ascot.

"We will probably drop back to the mile there (for the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes). He has a vineyard back there, but he is a longstanding owner and these colours have been racing in his family for over ninety years.

“Every time she wins we get a case of wine so we have been trying to win more races! That is why she is called Jancis as there was a wine expert called Jancis (Robinson).”

Levey said on ITV Racing: "To be fair they went quite hard for a mile and one here, the ground was never going to be an issue for her.

"Obviously she had form to find but I think it just set up nicely for her with the pace that was on. I was kind of off the bridle, leaving her alone out the back; Willie did say she's not very social, she likes to come round them so I was kind of happy following away off the bridle.

"I knew they were going hard. It wasn't until I went back to work on her, she covered the ground quite quickly and I probably got there way too soon but it's hard here when they go that hard, you need to get into the chase and they just spat me out a little bit soon but everything else was dead behind her so it wasn't a problem."

Cathedral's trainer Kevin Philippart de Foy said: “It is a shame the leader ran away and set some very strong fractions, but we have got to ride her like that over that trip as that is as sharp as she would want it. She has run some great races and we knew she would come on for the Kempton Park run. She just deserves that stakes race win.

"She finished fourth in two Group Ones for me last year. She is a great filly that always runs her heart out. The long-term plan is the Prix Jean Romanet in Deauville. We will see what we will do in between."

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