Trainers title: Darley one-two-three boost for Andrew Balding

It was a further boost to the handler’s trainers’ title chances as he faces a final week showdown with Aidan O’Brien, the Kingsclere trio adding another £84,000 to the kitty.

The winner was last seen chasing home Bow Echo in the Royal Lodge last season but the 15/8 chance showed no signs of ring-rustiness, going to the front two furlongs out.

And try as they did, stablemates The Lost King (7/4) and High Stack couldn’t land a telling blow, indeed the winner has his ears pricked as he hit the line a length-and-a-half clear.

Balding said: “He is a quality horse as his two year old old form was really strong. It is a shame he has missed the majority of this year. The Wathnan team have done a wonderful job as he went away for three months and he came back in great shape.

"We gradually got him back to the point of race fitness and he looked pretty good today. If it hadn’t been for his injury he could have done anything as a three year old, but it was great to see him back. 

“We had really high hopes. He has got a lot of ability so it was lovely to see that today. 

“The Lost King has improved with every run this year, but this horse has a different level of form if he was anywhere near his best. 

“He certainly looked to be working towards his best, but it was just a case of his fitness, and having been off the track for a long time, but it wasn’t an issue thankfully.

“I think it will be more like big targets for next year, but he could be a horse for a Prince Of Wales’s. Anything could be possible, but there might be some foreign targets this winter. 

“We didn’t put him in Bahrain in the end, but there will be all sorts of possibilities for him. We will have to sit down with the Wathnan team and see what they want to do.”

Rainbow shines for King

Plan A might have gone out of the window, but it failed to stop Cullenagh Rainbow shining brightest of them all to make her second start a winning one in the Triple Time Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Having out run her 80/1 odds when finishing third on her debut at Kempton Park back in August, the Alan King-trained filly bettered that result on her first outing on grass.

Sitting just off the early pace, the 15/8 chance, showed a commendable attitude once hitting the front in the seven furlong prize under Rossa Ryan before defeating newcomer Probing by a neck.

King said: “It wasn’t the plan to be handy, but the others were a bit green. She settled in front, but she does quite a lot of work at home on her own.

“She got a little bit revved up after Kempton Park, hence the hood going on. We could have gone back on the all-weather with her, but we haven’t been on the grass since the breeze-up sale.

“I spoke to Denis (Barry, owner) last week and said let’s try and run her on the grass if we can so we decided to come here and I’m delighted with that.

“The Kempton Park form has worked out well. We will see how she comes out of it as to whether she runs again this year.

“I wouldn’t be in any rush to go up in trip at the moment. I don’t think she wants more than a mile. I think she is pretty smart.”

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