ANDREW Balding’s Fox Chairman didn’t really need to improve to win a weak listed race at Newbury on Saturday from Karl Burke’s Pondus, but he posted a smart time in winning by a length from that progressive rival. Ridden by Silvestre De Sousa, the Kingman colt drifted left late on but was well on top from the runner-up, who didn’t do himself justice in the “Ascot Derby”.

Fox Chairman holds an entry in the Great Voltigeur at York next month, and given he’s not been seen to best effect a couple of times this season, it would take a brave man to say he’s overmatched against St Leger hopefuls.

The feature events went to Withhold and Bettys Hope, but the performance of the day at Newbury came from 33/1 German raider Waldpfad (Dominic Moser), who gave weight and a beating to most of his rivals in the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes under a fine ride from Andrea Atzeni.

In doing so, he put himself in the picture for both the Hungerford Stakes back at this venue in August, but also the Sprint Cup at Haydock.

He is unexposed as a sprinter, and certainly has the physique to excel at shorter trips, the German pattern not offering much in the way of opportunities for horses short of seven furlongs, other than the Goldene Peitsche at the end of August.

It’s easy enough to point to the proximity of Keystroke (Stuart Williams/P J McDonald) in third as a sign of the weakness of the race, but that horse did win the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket in April, and this merely appears proof that he is a smart performer on his day, for all he needs things to drop right.

The pair were split by Carnarvon Stakes winner Khaadem (Charlie Hills/Jim Crowley) and the way that course-and-distance event has worked out is a good reason to be positive about the form.

ON Friday, Shadn showed improved form to win the Listed Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Rose Bowl Stakes for Oisin Murphy and old ally Andrew Balding (pictured). Her task was made simpler by the fact that runner-up Misty Grey proved the perfect foil, drawing the winner into the race perfectly.

The winner was well-beaten in the Queen Mary on her previous start, but that is beginning to look like a very warm race for the grade. Mark Johnston’s runner-up, ridden by Ryan Moore, again shaped better than the distance beaten having run himself to a standstill in the Woodcote Stakes behind the Chesham winner Pinatubo.

He will stay further than six furlongs in time, but needs to learn to keep a bit back for himself if he’s to thrive.

Johnston also played second fiddle in the Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton, when Persian Moon (P J McDonald) failed to get to grips with the more aggressively ridden Sameem (James Tate/David Allan).

The winner was seen to best effect having quickened from the front, but he has a progressive profile, so isn’t one to underestimate on that basis alone.

SINCE last going to print, six Irish trainers have enjoyed success on British racecourses, starting with Andrew Hughes, who trained another Hamilton winner in the colours of the track’s leading owner Jimmy Long when Set In Stone scored on Friday evening. The following day, Noel Kelly saddled Décor Irlandais to win at Cartmel, while Katy Brown struck with Effernock Fizz at Redcar on Sunday, the Lovelace filly winning for the third time in four starts since May.

Gordon Elliott is rarely missing from the scoresheet, and kept his hand in with the victory of Rakhine State at Stratford. Elliott also landed a double at Southwell on Tuesday courtesy of odds-on favourites Skeaping and Carrie Des Champs.

Johnny Levins had his horsebox broken into at Ayr on Monday, but the team managed to recover the colours bag from a field almost a mile away from the incident, which was handy as both the yard’s runners, Tai Sing Yeh and Eleuthera, were able to carry their owners’ silks when giving the Curragh trainer a double on the card. Not to be left out, Adrian Keatley chimed in with a win for Compton’s Finale, to make it a hat-trick for Irish handlers on the card.

Levins had further cause for celebration when stable stalwart Your Pal Tal won at Musselburgh on Tuesday. That was an eighth career success for the gelding, who was given a 10% chance of surviving colic two years ago, and having been with Johnny Levins since the trainer was first granted a licence, he was retired on the spot. A fitting response for a horse who battled hard both on and off the track.