Rest of the Newmarket card

THE necessity to have the Abernant Stakes and Palace House Stakes on consecutive days has slightly weakened the former event, although it did see the winners of the race for the past three years line up again.

Dual scorer Brando and last year’s shock winner Keystroke both unplaced behind ready winner Oxted (Roger Teal/Cieren Fallon), who took over from the pace-setting Emaraaty Ana in the dip, and then held the late challenge of Breathtaking Look (Stuart Williams/Jim Crowley). There were a few disappointments in behind, but the 7/2 winner is in just his second full season, and appears a horse going places, with the speed to drop back to five furlongs if required.

The runner-up, who stayed on well, will appreciate the return to seven furlongs, over which trip she was an impressive winner of the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting last autumn.

Diamond wins

The Listed Paradise Stakes lost some of its gloss with the decision by Sangarius’s connections not to risk him on the quick ground, and the race went in pillar-to-post fashion to Marie’s Diamond (Mark Johnston/Silvestre de Sousa), with John Gosden’s Lord Tennyson running well for second under Frankie Dettori given this was just his second start.

While the 14/1 winner scored by a handsome margin of four and a half lengths, he had the benefit of dictating affairs against the far rail under a jockey who excels in such circumstances. The victor’s stablemate Vale Of Kent was perhaps unlucky not to finish a lot closer having broken awkwardly and therefore being unable to utilise front-running tactics which are the norm for him.