CHARLIE Hills may have made a slow start to the season but the stable is flying now and he landed the Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes with 16/1 shot Dutch Connection, a son of Dutch Art.

The first two in the market, 6/4 favourite Basateen and Aidan O’Brien’s Jamaica, were backed almost to the exclusion of everything else but they could manage only third and fourth as the unconsidered 33/1 chance Toocoolforschool battled on well in the final furlong, only to be nailed and beaten a head by the winner and William Buick in the dying strides.

In some ways the winner’s SP was hard to fathom because he won most impressively at Goodwood. The problem was that the horses he beat had failed since and, of course, there is always strong support for juveniles trained by O’Brien and Richard Hannon at top meetings like this.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” Hills said. “We’ve always thought a bit of him and he bumped into a very good one of John Gosden’s at Haydock. He’s improved mentally all season and has done well since Goodwood. He’ll probably have one more run this season, probably in a race like the Dewhurst. He’s a big horse and will make a lovely three-year-old.”

Kevin Ryan always does well at his local track and won the opening Symphony Group Stakes with 12/1 chance Blaine, who left an unhappy outing in the Stewards’ Cup behind and surged through on the stands’ side for the trainer’s daughter Amy to beat Move In Time and B Fifty Two by a short-head and a neck in a typical sprint handicap.

The yard won this last year with Bogart, who finished sixth this time. Blaine became upset in the stalls at Goodwood but Amy Ryan looked after him here and gained her just reward.

Brian Ellison saddled five of the 16 runners in the Fine Equity Stakes over two mile and it was the longest-priced of them, 25/1 shot Edge Of Sanity and Paul Mulrennan, who got home by half a length from Quest For More and Tony Martin’s 9/2 favourite Spacious Sky.

The winner was having his second run for Ellison, who picked him up out of Jim Bolger’s yard for 48,000gns at the Newmarket Sales. He is owned by Ray Rainey, who has been out of the game for a couple of decades but had horses with Arthur Stephenson many years ago.

Felix Leiter is named after a Bond character as he is by Monsieur Bond and he did the job in 007 style in the closing nursery, winning for Karl Burke and Ben Curtis. 3/1 in a 14-runner nursery may have seemed skinny enough but favourite backers went home happy and ready for round two.