Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes (Group 1)

ALCOHOL Free (Oisin Murphy) held on in a pulsating finish for the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, the Andrew Balding-trained filly defying her inexperience to withhold the late challenges of favourite Miss Amulet (Ken Condon/Ryan Moore) and Firth Of Clyde heroine Umm Kulthum (Richard Fahey/Paul Hanagan). The winner scored by half a length and a head having been heavily backed into 7/2.

Outpaced

Miss Amulet burst quickly from the stalls, and led until halfway, at which point she seemed to get outpaced having surrendered the lead to Alcohol Free, but she rallied gamely when meeting rising ground, and along with Umm Kulthum, bore down on the leader in a pincer movement.

To give the winning filly her due, she kept on gamely and didn’t look like surrendering her lead despite the best efforts of two former champion jockeys.

Dandalla looked a threat a quarter of a mile out, but her challenge flattened out rather tamely. The likeable Happy Romance couldn’t confirm the form of her Dick Poole Stakes win over Alcohol Free. But she probably produced another career best in fourth, looking a big threat as she came from further back than the trio who beat her, but weakening in the last 50 yards. She has been a tremendous buy for her first time owners.

Andrew Balding was contemplating the 1000 Guineas with the Jeff Smith-owned winner:

“We had the option to run in the Rockfel, but Jeff was keen on going for the Group 1 and he was dead right. Just for the yard, it is fantastic, as Jeff has been with us a long time, so it is great to get him a Group 1 winner again. She won’t run again this year. She is obviously good enough to go (to the Guineas), and we’ll decide in the spring whether she would benefit from a prep run.”

International campaign looks the likely plan for New Mandate

NEW Mandate (Ralph Beckett/Frankie Dettori) was described by his trainer as like “Warren Beatty on steroids” at the start of this year, which necessitated a gelding operation, and after graduating from a Sandown nursery and the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster, he brought up his hat-trick of wins in the Group 2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes.

The well-supported 9/4 favourite travelled well in rear behind market rival and early leader Cobh (Clive Cox/Adam Kirby) who set a modest pace, and he quickened in the style of a smart sort to pass his rivals when produced with a wide challenge.

Futurity Stakes third Ontario (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) stayed on best of the other quartet to finish second, three-quarters of a length behind the cosy winner, with Cobh a total of two lengths away in third.

The winning trainer has some head-scratching to do with New Mandate, who was bought privately by Hong Kong-based owner Marc Chan after his Sandown win.

Being a gelding, he is not eligible for the 2000 Guineas or the St James’s Palace Stakes. He may head to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, but it’s unlikely we’ll see much of him in Britain before next summer.