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Starzintheireyes stays the course

It looked quite hard work in the Palace Pier Zetland Stakes with County Mayo four or five clear at halfway in the 10 furlong contest but Starzintheireyes (9/2) finished the race off strongly to collar Green Storm and continue the good form of Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan.

With a quarter of a mile to run it was anyone's race with Green Storm marginally in front but challenged on either side by 11/10 favourite Shackleton and Too Soon. Green Storm saw that pair off but wandered off a straight line when out on his own and all the time Starzintheireyes was making up ground hand over first.

Green Storm, who traded at a low of 1/11 in-running on the Betfair Exchange, tried to rally when joined but the momentum was with the winner whose winning margin was a length with the first two pulling over three lengths clear of the remainder.

Betfair Sportsbook introduced Starzintheireyes at 25/1 for the Epsom Derby.

Ryan said: "I knew he'd get lost coming down the hill. The day he won at Leicester he was always going to win but it took him forever to organise himself.

"He's learning and he was a bit gassy going to post so I took it upon myself to drop him right in today, just to get him to relax early which he did well. They went a good, honest gallop the whole way and on this ground I thought he'll outbattle everything if it comes down to it but I just need to organise him a small bit earlier than anyone else.

"He's a big stayer, a big galloping horse and I'd say this sort of ground and worse is his sort of ground. He's going to grow up a lot from two to three; physically he is all there but mentally it is coming slowly and he's nowhere near the finishing destination."

Delacroix is Autumn star

Ryan and Beckett had to settle for second in the Emirates Autumn Stakes as Stanhope Gardens went down with all guns blazing to Delacroix (15/8 favourite).

Delacroix had the rail to help in the Group Three contest as the sextet, led by Wolf Of Badenoch, clustered against the stands' side rail. The first two home pulled clear of the remainder and neither colt gave an inch throughout the final furlong as they slugged it out and it wasn't until the line approached that race watchers could be confident that Delacroix had subdued his challenger.

The pair were separated by a neck at the line. Nightwalker was four lengths away in third.

The winner, trained by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, was striking for the second time in four starts having twice finished second to Green Impact, on debut and in the Group Two KPMG Champion Juvenile Stakes last time.

Betfair Sportsbook make Delacroix 12/1 from 20/1 for the Futurity Trophy, 20/1 (from 40/1) for the 2000 Guineas and 33/1 (from 50/1) for the Epsom Derby.

“He’s improving and learning and he got a bump early which just unnerved him a little bit,” said O’Brien.

“He’s progressive and that’s why we are racing him and keeping him busy and Ryan was much happier with him today. He’s a tough, hardy horse who looks like he’s going to get a trip, he’s going to get middle-distance next year.

“You have to be very happy with him and Ryan said he could be a Futurity Trophy horse if we want, so we will see how he is and how it goes.

“I think next year, a mile upwards will be no problem; he’s a big horse, he’s learning and he’s obviously got a great pedigree.”

Marc Chan owns Green Impact as well as Starzintheireyes and Stanhope Gardens. The latter is expected to be seen to better effect on a faster surface and his owner was still hoping that he could make up into a Guineas contender next spring but he has his sights set on another big prize before then as he could be represented by his stalwart Kinross on British Champions Day.

After the Zetland he said of Starzintheireyes: “I’m very happy with the performance and according to Rossa he is quite immature mentally and the penny still hasn’t fully dropped, so hopefully there is something to look forward to next year.

“There is a lot of stamina on the dam’s side of Starzintheireyes and he is related to Crystal Ocean, but the sire is Starspangledbanner, so it was interesting to see what we had. It turns out he is a big-actioned horse who likes a mile and a quarter or even more.

“Green Impact is my first home bred and hopefully next year we have lots to look forward to and I will be here a lot. I will hopefully be going to lots of races in the UK and Ireland. It’s very important we have new blood coming through to bring us more action next year.”

He added: “Our trainer Ralph Beckett is red-hot right now. Kinross could possibly go back to Ascot in a week’s time, depending on his condition. That is a high possibility but we will leave that to Ralph Beckett.”

Liberty denied by Artist

Lead Artist (3/1) ran on strongly to beat Cambridgeshire winner Liberty Lane in the Group Three Space Blues Darley Stakes.

The John and Thady Gosden trained winner made a smooth transition to Group races from novice company, winning a Goodwood Group Three before finishing second to Kinross in the Group Two Park Stakes over seven furlongs at Doncaster.

Tackling nine furlongs for the first time, Lead Artist was settled in midfield before quickening well in The Dip to pass the prominent racing and 5/4 favourite Liberty Lane and although the runner-up refused to go down without a fight, Lead Artist was always doing enough, winning by a length and a half.

Peace Artist, a stablemate of the winner, made a pleasing return on his first start for 470 days, finishing a further two and a quarter lengths back in third.

John Gosden said: "Stepping him up in trip has helped him and he will get a mile and a quarter next year.

"He is in the Bahrain Trophy. He was entered for it but whether he will get in is another matter but he will have gone up in the ratings so there is every chance he could go there. He handles fast ground and here he is handling the slow side of good so it opens up a lot of doors and he'll be a lovely horse for next year over a mile and a quarter.

"We haven't rushed him forwards in any way, he's just been a horse who has taken a little time to come to himself mentally but we're really happy with his progress now and that was a smart performance.

"Pleased with Peace Man too. We were going to go to York but it was heavy so I said we're going to run him here, it's the best bit of ground left in Europe, fresh track yesterday on the stands' side, so we ran him here and he's run an absolute blinder. He's a fun horse to take over to France and find a race now in the autumn."

Lead Artist was the only ride of the day for jockey Kieran Shoemark who said: "Physically he's improving but mentally too, he's growing up with each run. At Doncaster he was awash with sweat down at the start and seemed to get worked up down at the start but he was far more relaxed today and went down to post lovely.

"I just wanted to go out there and ride him like he stayed, I was under no pressure and went out there with plenty of confidence. and he found the line really well. He's quite deceptive, he seems to hit a flat spot in all his races. He's like that in his homework as well, he won't really do anything until asked; when we hit the rising ground, there was still plenty of horse crossing the line."

Rest of the action

Hyperchromatic (12/1) came out on top in an exciting conclusion to the Godolphin Flying Start Nursery, beating the 11/4 joint-favourites Olympus Point and Attack by a neck and half a length with only two and a half lengths covering the next four home.

The winner is by Marco Botti and was ridden by Marco Ghiani who said: "The plan was always to be quite forward.

"They jumped really quick today. Being the first time on an undulating track, it was a bit of a tricky one going down into The Dip, when I asked him to make an effort he just got a little bit lost but when he found the rising ground and Buick came upsides me, he put his head in front and really wanted to win.

"He was very tough and I was very pleased with him. He's improving with every race and hopefully he can improve again."

There was also a finish of heads to the Perfect Power British EBF Boadicea Stakes where Rage Of Bamby (10/1) edged out Marine Wave and Funny Story by a neck and a short-head.

The winner was ridden by Charles Bishop and is trained by Eve Johnson Houghton.

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