Shadow Of Light won the Dewhurst Stakes | report and free video replay

Shadow Of Light won the six furlong Group One just two weeks ago and it looked as though that may be it for the season only for Godolphin to opt to supplement him for this seven furlong contest and that decision was handsomely rewarded.

Some of the shine was taken off the race when morning line favourite The Lion In Winter was declared a non-runner with a bruised foot. That left a field of five with Charlie Appleby and Aidan O'Brien saddling two apiece with Hugo Palmer's Seagulls Eleven the outlier.

Seagulls Eleven took the quintet along but around the halfway point Ryan Moore took Expanded over to the stands' side rail and James Doyle opted to track across and shadow him aboard Ancient Truth.

It appeared as though that pair might have stolen the race and they certainly appeared to have stolen an advantage as the other three, led by William Buick and Shadow Of Light, tacked back across to join them inside the final furlong. All the time, the once-raced Expanded and Ancient Truth were enjoying a good race but just as Expanded mastered that rival as the line drew near, Shadow Of Light appeared on the scene to run them both down.

The winning distances were a neck and the same.

Only O’Brien’s US Navy Flag in 2017 and Sir Henry Cecil’s Diesis in 1982 had triumphed in both the Middle Park and Dewhurst until Shadow Of Light.

Shadow Of Light is now 10/1 (12s immediately after the race) from 16/1 for the 2000 Guineas with Paddy Power.

Appleby said: "Full credit to all the team. You have to have full confidence in the people who are around the horse and riding the horse and Paul Eddery and the lads have done a fantastic job. We were happy to supplement but if he hadn't been firing on all cylinders at declaration stage we wouldn't have ran.

"James decided to follow Ryan and I thought that was a good decision; his horse just ran a bit free and fresh early and that probably just paid the last 100 yards I'd have said. He's run a very creditable race and I feel the horse will do very well from two to three.

"William was in a nice position, they were going a nice even pace. From the three to the two, for a horse that normally travels quite sweetly he was coming under the pump a bit earlier than I'd have liked but once they hit the rising ground I could see he was staying at it but I knew the stands' side looked like they had the edge.

"William felt the horse was picking up the whole way up the hill and once he got company he found again. So on that evidence he's a horse that we will aim at the Guineas and if he doesn't stay we know what we'll be dropping back to and we'll drop back to the Commonwealth.

"I wouldn't like to say he's particularly handled the ground. He travelled sweeter into the race on slightly better ground in the Middle Park but the rain has got into the ground today; hopefully on a sounder surface it will help him travel into the race and give him the best opportunity of seeing out a mile."

Buick said: “He’s a good Middle Park and Dewhurst winner now and he’s obviously an exceptional horse. The race didn’t really play to him at all. A five-runner field, you just think we will race up the middle and everyone will have their chance.

“I needed cover and he was a six-furlong winner stepping up to seven in soft ground, so I had to conserve where I could.

“I knew if I showed him daylight too early, he would probably burn out, so I had to follow Oisin (Murphy on Seagulls Eleven) wherever he went, and Ryan (Moore on Expanded) and James went on the stands’ rail and we were far-to-middle.

“Oisin was cooked approaching the three and I had to make my way home from there and luckily, I’ve managed to make touch with Ryan and James and I just managed to get over a little bit to them – once I did, my fellow got really competitive.

“He hit the rising ground and was well on top in the end. He is really tough and responded to everything I asked him – and what really pleased me the most is, for such a quick Middle Park winner, how he showed that stamina over seven furlongs on this soft ground here.

“I can’t remember many horses I have ridden, especially two-year-olds, who would be able to do that.

“He was running on his own doing fine but once he got a sniff of the opposition, he found another gear. It was a big performance and through that you can definitely mark it up.

“You have to give credit to Charlie and the team for having a crack – he was a four-length Middle Park winner and now two weeks later he’s a Dewhurst winner.”

All eyes on the Guineas

"I see no reason not to (train Ancient Truth for the Guineas)," Appleby said of the third.

"You can mark that run up for me, he's come off a nice break. He was fresh and well and he just ran a bit too free to put the race to bed at the business end."

Expanded was making his second start, just seven days on from his debut and delighted O'Brien with his performance.

"Incredible. You couldn't have expected that and it was unfair to ask him to do it but he's obviously a horse with a lot of quality. You usually need two or three weeks after your first run to come back and fill up; he'd only done five pieces of work before he ran at the Curragh so he was just ready to start. He's obviously a top horse.

"Ryan said he would have won only James came and challenged him two and a half down and he said he's only a baby and he wasn't ready for that but he had to keep his position and then he headed him, he felt if that hadn't happened he would have won.

"He's a May Guineas horse I imagine."

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