Ascot Saturday

SILVESTRE de Sousa bagged a blacktype double on his second day back after being sidelined by a fall at Chelmsford in August, and his fitness was barely tested on Morando for Andrew Balding, with the 2/1 favourite sauntering to a six-length victory in the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes over Sextant (Sir Michael Stoute/Louis Steward).

Morando has been disappointing since beating Kew Gardens by eight lengths in the Ormonde Stakes at Chester in May, but the return to testing ground has helped.

He had Sextant behind him when second in the Geoffrey Freer at Newbury in August, and while the Queen’s gelding ran better here, the grey son of Kendargent had no trouble confirming superiority. Andrew Balding outlined plans for the six-year-old: “He is a high-class horse in this ground, he travels very well on it, which is a big help. The choice is between the Prix Royal Oak [Longchamp on October 27th] or the St Simon Stakes [Newbury, October 26th in which Morando shared the spoils 12 months ago].”

The Group 3 Bengough Stakes was won authoritatively by Roger Varian’s Cape Byron in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum and ridden by retained jockey, Andrea Atzeni.

The 13/8 market leader was always sitting pretty and went on over a furlong out to win by two lengths from Donjuan Triumphant (Andrew Balding/Silvestre de Sousa).

The runner-up lurched sideways as the stalls opened and was last to exit as a result, so did well to get so close, while Keystroke (Stuart Williams/Adam Kirby) was lumbered with a penalty for his shock win in the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket in April, and ran with credit to be beaten by a neck for second.

The winner was scoring his third success of the season at Ascot having also won the Victoria Cup over seven furlongs and the Wokingham Stakes here. He confirmed himself a genuine group horse with this win, and is effective on all ground types, with Atzeni describing it as “dead and tacky” here.

Kynren delivers at last

DAVID Barron’s Kynren has rewarded considered each-way support in umpteen heritage handicaps since his 2018 reappearance, but his win in the Bet365 Challenge Cup under Ben Curtis was his first since 2017.

That clearly didn’t deter punters, however, as an avalanche of late money saw him go from 9/1 overnight to be returned as 11/4 favourite.

The highlight of a double on the card for Michael Dods was no doubt the victory of the thriving Dakota Gold (Connor Beasley) in the Listed Rous Stakes, the five-year-old getting the better of a battle with Danzeno before Arecibo ran on late to grab second.

The winner, returned favourite at 15/8, has always had loads of speed, but has learned to ration that this year, and has improved enormously as a result, this being his fifth win since late-July, and his second at listed level.

Co-owner Doug Graham suggested he could run in the Wentworth Stakes at Doncaster’s season finale, assuming he pleases Dods in the meantime. The Equiano gelding was loaded into the stalls here, as he always is, by trainer’s wife Carol.