GODOLPHIN struck in the Betway All-Weather marathon when Winning Story, coming with a perfectly-timed run for Silvestre de Sousa, picked up fellow 7/1 shot Watersmeet and went on to score by just under two lengths. Steve Rogers was close up in third.

Winning Story was reversing recent Chelmsford form with the runner-up and had no difficulty in handling the track, which some thought might be on the sharp side for him. He will be of considerable interest when switched back to turf for races like the Northumberland Plate.

They went a tremendous gallop in the 32Red All-Weather Fillies’ And Mares’ Conditions Stakes and for quite a while it seemed that nothing would reach the pace-setting Shypen. However, Andrea Atzeni timed things well on Realtra, who found plenty to lead in the straight and hold market leaders Muffri’Ha and Ashadihan in a driving finish. Both ran as if finding seven furlongs too sharp.

Realtra, 6/1, did well for Richard Fahey as a youngster but switched to Roger Varian’s stable in 2015. She won three races for him, including the Fast Track Qualifier at Deauville last December, and was right back to her best here.

Richard Fahey has a superb recent record in the Betway All-Weather Sprint Championships, having won the six-furlong event twice in the last three years with Alben Star. Things look even better now because yesterday 4/1 joint-favourite Kimberella came with a long, sustained to reel in Mythmaker and score very tidily indeed.

Very few got into it as Gracious John and Mythmaker went hell for leather up front. Kimberella seemed to have plenty to do a furlong and a half out but Paul Hanagan galvanised him and got there in plenty of time to win by half a length, Encore D’Or faring best of the rest.

Kimberella had an excellent record in handicaps for Dandy Nicholls, who handed in his licence recently, and won impressively over five here on his first outing for Fahey.

“It’s great to see a crowd like this and I’ve probably got more members of the family here than will turn up at my funeral!” winning owner Clive Titcomb said with a smile. “The Duke of York Stakes at the Dante meeting could be a possibility now, but I’d just like to pay tribute to Dandy and Alex Greaves and all the team for the work they did with this horse over the past couple of years.”

One or two ‘hotpots’ went down but William Haggas’ Second Thought made no mistake at 11/8 in the 32Red 3-Year-Old Championship, finding the gaps late on for Robert Winston to account for Visionary and Tomily readily enough in the end.

Wick Powell took them along and at one stage Arzaak looked like wriggling though on the rails but the winner was too good and completed a four-timer. Haggas had a good day, with 10/11 favourite Muthmirr smoothly winning the conditions sprint at Bath.

The afternoon had begun with a setback for favourite backers when Richard Hannon’s 100/30 chance War Glory, one of the best-backed horses of the day, was beaten quite literally on the nod by 33/1 shot Forceful Appeal in the Sunbets AW Championships Apprentice Handicap over seven furlongs.

Holiday Magic made most of the running but Forceful Appeal squeezed through and went for home. Hollie Doyle came fast and late to draw level but the winner had his head down for just long enough. It was Epsom trainer Simon Dow’s biggest winner for a while and the nine-year-old was recording his ninth course victory.