SALES races are worth a huge amount of money these days and Richard Hannon’s Stormy Clouds picked up over £147,000 for winning the 18-runner Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes, which opened Thursday’s programme.

On the face of it, a youngster with eight runs under her belt already, the most recent of them only six days previously, should have been vulnerable.

However, Hannon’s juveniles are often very tough and Stormy Clouds, in front before the two-furlong pole for Sean Levey, galloped on strongly to beat Rusumaat by just under two lengths, with Savannah’s Dream keeping on well in third.

Backers did extremely well in an 18-runner event, the first two being returned at 13/2 and 11/2 favourite.

The well-backed Rainbow Mist never quite reached the front rank but kept on well towards the finish behind the placed horses and is worth following.

O’MEARA’S FIRMAMENT

David O’Meara made a quiet start to the season but his stable is fairly flying now and Firmament (8/1) ran out a thoroughly deserving winner of the Clipper Logistics Handicap over a mile.

Bookmakers love contests like this on important race days but once again the form pundits did well.

Firmament and Danny Tudhope came home half a length in front of Sir Michael Stoute’s 5/1 favourite Mustashry, who lost his pitch at half-way but kept on strongly in the closing stages.

Still only three, Mustashry acquitted himself well against older horses but the handicapper will have taken due note.

Chil The Kite won this at 20/1 last year but was always towards the back this time. However, there were other eye-catching performances, particularly from Fahey’s Third Time Lucky, who was staying on well in fifth and showing his first meaningful form of the summer.

He may well take all the beating as he bids for a repeat victory in the Cambridgeshire.