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Anthelia the National heroine

Anthelia continued to bely her bargain buy status when flooring the boys to maintain her unbeaten record in the Star Sports National Stakes.

Arriving on the back of wins at Bath and Salisbury to her name the daughter of Supremacy showed terrific courage when squeezing up the inside rail to pocket the Listed prize.

Picked up for just 6,000 guineas as a yearling the Middleham Park Racing-owned filly was sent off a relatively unfancied 25/1 chance to extend her winning run in the five furlong dash.

Although kindly drawn in stall three the Rod Millman-trained filly looked to have a tough ask with the run closest to the rail looking a dead end.

However, after making the most of a narrow gap Anthelia burst through under Lewis Edmunds to defeat last time out York scorer First Legion by a length.

Millman said: “We were lucky to get her. We were going to buy one for about fifty thousand guineas and this was one we picked out, but she wasn’t really worth fifty thousand guineas I thought so we bought something else.

“She was walking around the ring and there were no bids on her so I got her for six thousand guineas.

“We didn’t want to get involved in a duel for the front as we wanted her to finish off. The main thing today was to try and get some black type and as it turned out she was better than we thought she was.

“She would still be learning the game. When she won at Bath she came from the back still being green then it was a four runner race next time. "This was the first time she had been roughed up in a race and it is very exciting for the future.

“We haven’t had one finish at the top of our gallops like her for a very long time.”

However, a trip to Royal Ascot appears off the agenda for the time being with connections keen to step her up in trip for a tilt at the Listed Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket on June 26th.

Millman added: “We will probably not go to Royal Ascot. The aim was to miss Royal Ascot and go for the Empress Stakes, but she has won.

“It is very tough taking on the best at Royal Ascot and you don’t often have a horse afterwards.

“The Super Sprint is her main aim, but she is a bit better than that and that puts value on her now.

“She wants six furlongs and that is why she didn’t go to the Marygate as five was a bit sharp for her there. I think she will go to the Empress then see where she goes.”

Opera hits the high notes

Opera Ballo put his Craven Stakes disappointment behind him with a highly promising victory in the Listed Star Sports Heron Stakes.

Charlie Appleby's son of Ghaiyyath pulled way too hard at Newmarket on turf debut and eventually finished sixth, but he bounced back to winning form under William Buick in a first-time hood.

He still looked an awkward ride in the headgear, keen again in the early stages while he took time to get organised, but the raw ability was very much in evidence.

As Bay City Roller made his challenge on the outside, Opera Bello lengthened into the lead and ran out a ready two-and-a-half length winner despite all the signs of greenness.

Alex Merriam, assistant trainer, said: “I think so (that the hood helped). Will said once he got the cover he settled much better than at Newmarket the last day, although he was a bit keen early doors, but he has got it done.

“He is very much a work in progress as you can see. He has had the hood on at home since he was a bit keen at Newmarket the last day and it has helped anyway.

“You would be a brave man to take that off having seen how he was early so we will stick with it. Will said he is a work in progress.”

Although Opera Ballo holds an entry in next month’s St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and appearance in the Group One prize is far from set in stone according to connections.

Merriam added: “I’m not sure what Charlie has got planned. He is in the St James’s Palace Stakes, but he is a work in progress so we will see.

“He appreciated that bit of juice in the ground I think. We will let Charlie come up with a plan.

“He is in that (St James’s Palace Stakes), but I wouldn’t say it is definite.”

A step up in trip beckons for Bay City Roller according to his trainer George Scott, who will scour the programme book both at home and abroad for the New Bay colt.

Scott added: “We were delighted. Charlie’s horse has a lot of quality and he has had three runs this year.

“We were sure he was ready to step up to 10 furlongs, but there wasn’t a race. Callum (Shepherd) said he hit the line great and that he is ready to step up in trip.

“His pedigree is all about 10 furlongs and a mile and a half. It looks very dry in France and going for a Classic (French Derby) after 257 days off was a bit ambitious.

“He is a horse for the future and he has a lot of quality. That is a starting point.

“He has a Group Two penalty, which makes life a bit difficult, and we don’t really want to go into a Group One. We will have a look. There might be something in France for him or we might have to sit on our hands for a little while. I really want to go 10 on a flat track.

“He doesn’t qualify for the 10 furlong race at Royal Ascot because of the penalty and he has either got to go a mile in the St James’s Palace Stakes, which he won’t do, or go a mile and a half for the King Edward VII Stakes. I would say he will miss Royal Ascot sadly.”

Wicked a popular winner

Wicked took the required step forward to open his account at the fourth time of asking when swooping late in the Starsports.Bet Handicap.

Having chased home the promising Bedouin Prince on his last start at Newmarket the John and Thady Gosden-trained Kingman colt duly went one better in the opening mile contest.

Buried in the middle of the field for much of the race the 9/2 chance, who cost 600,000 guineas as a yearling, only played his hand late on under James Doyle.

Victory looked to be heading the way of either Lunar Orbit or Rockin’ The Boat with that pair pressing on from early leader Imperial Trooper inside the final two furlongs.

However, neither could match the finishing kick of the Wathnan Racing-owned colt who came with a power-packed late run before going on to score by a length.

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer, said: “He ran well at Newmarket last time when he was beaten by a good horse in Bedouin Prince.

“This was his first time in handicap company today and the stiff mile suited him well and James managed to get him there late on.

“His pedigree suggests that the step up to 10 furlongs would suit him quite well and he shapes like that as well. You would think he would benefit from that as well.

“That was only his fourth start today and he is probably just getting the hang of it now, but he is a very laid back horse as you can see he is not too worried after that so hopefully he will take another step forward.

“It depends what the handicapper does with him as those races (at Royal Ascot) are not too easy to get in nowadays, but I'm sure he will get a few pounds for that and we will see where we go.

“He has an exceptional pedigree so you would like to think he is a progressive horse for the future.”

Alain has the last laugh

The racecourse may no longer beckon for ‘yard pet’ Hafeet Alain, who earned a potentially well deserved retirement after completing a double on the night for trainer Ed Walker in the Starsports.Bet Whitsun Cup Handicap.

Despite having gone over 12 months without a win the nine year old showed he still had plenty of life left in him when giving jockey Jack Doughty a first winner at the track in the mile affair.

With a hefty rise in the weights likely to be handed to the gelded son of Elzaam in light of his three and a quarter length success, the Lambourn handler admitted now might be the best time to draw stumps on his career.

Walker said of the 12/1 winner: “He is like the yard pet. Everyone loves Alain. We have got a couple of nice old pals in the yard in Fantasy Believer, Alain and Popmaster and they have all been around for a long time. He is such a legend he really is. He is a real solid horse.

“The Siu family are really good friends now and they have been supporters of ours for a long time now and we said when we came to this year we would retire him after his last win.

“Whether or not that happens I don’t know as we weren’t expecting that to happen as I thought I needed it to be honest with you.

“He will go up a lot for that and he is nine. He would be a hack at home if this is his last race.”

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