THE collateral form-lines of the Middle Park were also represented in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes over a mile, where warm favourite Kameko (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) couldn’t resist the late surge of Aidan O’Brien’s Royal Dornoch (Wayne Lordan), with that colt’s stablemate Iberia (Donnacha O’Brien) finishing third, a neck and one and a half lengths behind the pair who beat him.

The best-fancied of the Ballydoyle trio, Year Of The Tiger (Ryan Moore) was fourth after seeming not to stay the trip, as might be expected from a son of the speedy champion juvenile filly Tiggy Wiggy.

Limitations

Like many from his stable, Royal Dornoch gained this important success having appeared to have his limitations exposed earlier in the campaign. He was third to Golden Horde and Threat in the Richmond Stakes before finishing well held in the Prix Morny won by Earthlight, and fared no better when last of five in the Champagne Stakes won by Threat at Doncaster.

One reason for this improved effort is clearly his trainer’s habit of gradually eking improvement from his horses despite busy campaigns, a trait few even at the top of the training ranks manage to replicate on the same scale. It’s also clear that Royal Dornoch has improved for the increased emphasis on stamina, and he would not have won this race at seven furlongs, being passed by Kameko just after the quarter-mile marker and briefly looking held before rallying in game fashion as the runners met the rising ground, and getting his head back in front close home.

Royal Dornoch clearly has some limitations, lacking the tactical speed to be considered a serious candidate for either the Dewhurst or even the Vertem Futurity, but he showed himself very willing under pressure here, and is certainly entitled to take his place at Doncaster, even if he’s down the pecking order in a powerful list of possible from his stable.

At present, O’Brien has no less than 33 entries from the Group 1 on Town Moor, including both Royal Dornoch and Iberia, and is sure to have an exceptionally strong hand on the day.

Green

Kameko failed to justify short odds, but as at Sandown in the Solario Stakes, he looked a little green in front, and that allowed the winner an opportunity to renew his challenge. The son of Kitten’s Joy was also free to post and in the early stages, and that partially excuses his weakness in the finish.

He might be flattered by getting so close to Positive in the Solario, but he matched that form in defeat, and while that gives him something to find heading to a possible ch allenge for the Vertem Futurity, he retains physical scope, and may just need the benefit of a winter on his back to see him develop into the finished article.

IN truth, the 2019 Cambridgeshire was not the strongest renewal by any means, many of the runners at the bottom of the weights earmarked instead for the consolation race the previous day, but that race turned into a farce with not enough runners to make each-way betting of interest, and the Cambridgeshire itself not a race in which to dig over amongst the also-rans.

On the other hand, it produced a most impressive winner in the unexposed Lord North for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori, and like Gosden’s previous winners Halling, Pipedreamer, Tazeez and Wissahickon, Lord North looks destined for success in a much higher grade.

All four of Gosden’s previous winners were in similar mould as unexposed handicappers, and all but Tazeez were three-year-olds with limited experience in such races.

All went on to score at Group 3 level or better the following year, and Lord North, who was having just his second handicap outing, looks certain to go on to better things himself.

His pedigree, by Dubawi out of a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Bandini, suggests as much, but the manner in which he came from a fairly unpromising position to overhaul one who wasn’t stopping was hugely impressive, and Dettori was able to ease down before the line.