ROGER Varian has a rapidly improving three-year-old in Pilaster and the daughter of Nathaniel took a major step forward when landing the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes after an all-out battle with Maid Up. The pair came very close together in the closing stages but the placings remained unaltered after an inquiry.

The fact that Ryan Moore rode God Given, even though Aidan O’Brien was represented by Flattering, helped make Luca Cumani’s filly 5/2 favourite. She led from Flattering but found little when challenged in the straight and could finish only fourth.

Rob Hornby has forged a splendid partnership with Andrew Balding’s Maid Up and the 16/1 shot looked set to oblige when taking it up on the outside. She had been edging right for a while, however, as Pilaster and David Egan drifted the other way. In the very last stride, Pilaster (11/4) lunged forward to score by a short-head.

Egan is champion apprentice and became a fully-fledged jockey as recently as last Tuesday.

“The winning distance was close but the final result was very special,” he said. “This is my first major winner and it’s great to get it for the boss, Mr Varian. Cheveley Park Stud are great owners and very important to the yard.

“I followed Frankie (on Princess Ramotswe) throughout until hitting the front at the furlong marker and Pilaster fought back after being headed. I’m great friends with Rob so it’s bitter-sweet, but I’ll take it.”

Pilaster’s two other wins this year came at Chelmsford and Kempton, showing the increasing importance of all-weather tracks.

“We’ll have to consider races like the Qipco Fillies & Mares at Ascot on Champion Stakes day or the Park Hill at Doncaster before that,” Varian said. “David has always stood out. He’s as classy as the filly is.”

COMMUNIQUE SEES IT OUT

Thursday’s card began with a typically gritty success for a Mark Johnston-trained handicapper when 7/2 favourite Communique battled on to deny the Godolphin top-weight Zaman in the Matchbook Best Value Exchange Handicap over 10 furlongs. Global Giant kept on for third.

Zaman had run well in a listed race at Newmarket following his sojourn in Dubai and he set out to make all the running. Communique was briefly short of room on the rails but Silvestre de Sousa pushed his way out and gained the upper hand inside the two-furlong marker. Zaman kept on gamely but the distance was a length and a half at the line.

Like so many of Johnston’s winners, Communique was defying a hike in the handicap. This was his third victory of the season and he may not have finished yet. He was moving Johnston to within 17 of Richard Hannon senior’s record number of 4,193 British winners.

EXPERIENCE

A gap of 17 soon became 16 as Johnston’s Accordance, by Archipenko, made her experience count in the Markel Insurance Maiden Fillies’ Stakes. Runner-up by four lengths on her Doncaster debut, Accordance (9/2) and P J McDonald had the better of a bunched finish, just getting there from Rux Power and Lady Cosette.

With the future in mind, it may also pay to follow the winner’s stable-companion Stellar Comet, a taking filly by Charm Spirit who showed up well for much of the journey. John Gosden introduced Frankel’s daughter Mehdaayih, with Dettori on board, but she never threatened.

Richard Fahey is the most prolific of trainers but his winners at Goodwood are fairly few and far between. His record improved when the unbeaten More Than This – unmissable for those who remember the Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music song – led early and fought back well to land the Telegraph Nursery Handicap for Paul Hanagan.

A 40,000 guineas yearling by Dutch Art, More Than This, 4/1 joint-favourite, had won two minor events and seemed to have plenty to do under 9st 5lb.

However, he was in control turning for home and rallied to master outsider Indian Viceroy after being headed two furlongs out.

“We’ve always thought More Than This was a nice horse and we thought it a very good performance when he won at Haydock. He’ll be a nice horse for the future,” Fahey said.

The north struck again in the last when John Quinn’s Lord Riddiford, completing a hat-trick, just held the strong late challenge of Marnie James in the lightning-fast Tatler Handicap. Marnie James had travelled down from Iain Jardine’s yard in Scotland and seemed sure to make the long journey pay off but Lord Riddiford, 6/1, would not be denied.