THE afternoon began with a game, impressive success for Roger Varian’s 5/1 joint-favourite Barsanti, who defied 9st 10lb in the Sky Bet First Race Special Stakes over a mile and a half. Barsanti graduated to listed class after winning impressively here, but possibly found a mile and six a shade too far last time.

Taking over after Mijhaar had made much of the running, he was strongly pressed by Tony Martin’s Moonmeister on one side and Luca Cumani’s Shakopee on the other but Andrea Atzeni coaxed one final spurt from him and he kept on to beat Shakopee by a neck with Moonmeister only a head behind, the first three well clear.