The Willie McCreery-trained Jancis ran out a surprising winner of the Betfred Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket on Sunday.

The five-year-old Tamayuz mare looked an exciting prospect after winning her first two career starts in the summer of 2024, but she had failed to add to her tally in seven subsequent appearances.

Having her first competitive outing since November in this nine-furlong Group 2, the five-year-old was an 18/1 shot in the hands of Sean Levey and while she was off the bridle some way from home, she responded to her rider’s urgings to close the gap.

Cathedral was only filly able to go with Jancis entering the final furlong, but the latter was strong at the finish and won by a length and three-quarters.

“I’m delighted for her owner, Arturo Cousino, who is watching on from Chile today. He’ll be very happy,” said McCreery.

“She was running good races last year and just getting chinned here and there. She ran a lovely race in Dundalk at the back end of last year and it gave us a lot of confidence.

“The owner has been very confident and very patient with her, she’s a beautiful moving filly and it’s great for him.

“He comes from a Chilean family and the third dam was a champion in Chile, I’m very lucky to have her.

“I was delighted with her. She loved that quick ground today, it really suited her and she just hopped off it.”

Royal Ascot awaits Jancis, who takes her name from the British wine critic Jancis Robinson as her owner is also the owner of a vineyard in Chile.

“She’s won a Group 2 so the only thing to do is to try to get a Group 1 placing now, we’ll go to Ascot now.

“She’ll probably drop back to the mile at Ascot as she’ll have a penalty on her back.

“Arturo has a farm in Chile and he’ll come over for Royal Ascot, he’s a longstanding owner. Those colours have been racing in his family for over 90 years.

“She actually was in utero, the mare was on a plane in Amsterdam to go to America and then onto Chile but she went mad on the plane so they took her back to Ireland to foal this one.

“Arturo owns a farm and a vineyard in Chile so we get a case of wine when we have a winner, it’s very good stuff!”