BRITAIN’S biggest evening race meeting took place last Thursday at Sandown, where the Henry II Stakes and the Brigadier Gerard Stakes were the Group-3 headliners.

The former went to the upwardly mobile six-year-old Magic Circle, who put himself in the picture for races like the Gold Cup at Ascot and the Melbourne Cup with a most emphatic six-length defeat of Red Verdon.

The race seemed to be a little stop-start, with quite a quick finish, but the overall time was more than respectable and worth a timefigure of 115. Only Stradivarius (120) and Desert Skyline (118) have run faster times among stayers this season in Ireland and Britain. Incidentally, Order Of St George (126 in 2017) won the Listed Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown the following day with a 105 timefigure.

The Brigadier Gerard Stakes went as expected to Poet’s Word, but this was a highly tactical affair with a quick finish, and the winner’s 77 timefigure is a long way short of the 121 level he managed at his peak last year.

There were also two significant listed races on the card, with Without Parole (a late defection from the 2000 Guineas on account of a setback) running a smart 116 timefigure in beating Gabr (114) in the Heron Stakes and Vintage Brut a 101 in winning the National Stakes. With less than three lengths separating the first six, it seems unlikely there were any real stars on show in the latter.