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Duke delivers for Wathnan team

French Duke got off the mark for Roger Varian and Wathnan Racing in the Coral Daily Rewards Shaker Handicap.

The Sea The Stars colt was last seen finishing sixth in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot and returned to action wearing a hood for the first time. Under James Doyle, Wathnan’s retained rider, the three-year-old was the 16-5 favourite in a field of 10 as he looked to set aside his maiden status and kickstart a successful meeting for his increasingly-prominent owners.

From stall seven he worked his way through the race, locking horns with John and Thady Gosden’s Lord Of Love in the final furlong and battling on best to prevail by a neck.

“He’s still learning the game, he’s a bit raw and immature,” Varian said. “After Ascot, where he ran his race upside down, we really wanted to see him finish today. In doing so, at a medium gallop on fast ground, we were probably further back than James wanted to be.

“The horse is still learning but he showed toughness there, I think I would upgrade that performance. For me he is not the finished article but it was nice to see him tough it out today. If you watch the race at Ascot, he ran huge that day but he did too much and moved too early in the race. Today it was very important that he hit the line strong.”

Beckett on the scoresheet with Al Anoud

Al Anoud did connections proud with a tough victory in the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Handicap.

Trained by Ralph Beckett and ridden by Hector Crouch, the filly won twice as a three-year-old but was yet to get off the mark in two starts this season. As a 7/2 chance on the Downs she rectified that, prevailing by a head from the 9-4 favourite in Power Of Destiny when carrying significantly more weight.

Beckett said: “I was fairly confident she would handle the drop back in trip – even though they went no gallop she didn’t really get home over a mile and four furlongs at Pontefract last time. They did that again today, but it suited us that they did not get racing too soon.

“She and Doha, who runs in the Nassau Stakes tomorrow, arrived in the same week with us last year after the July Meeting and you wouldn’t have picked which was the better filly at the time. We always thought this filly would graduate, but we will see. I think we will stick at this distance and there is a race for her at York’s Ebor meeting.”

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