THERE was plenty of good supporting action for the Guineas over the two-day Newmarket meeting, but in time terms one race stood out above all others. That was the Longholes Palace House Stakes on the Saturday, which went to Marsha despite her carrying a 7lb penalty for her win in last year’s Prix de l’Abbaye.

The Sir Mark Prescott-trained filly swept through off a strong pace to beat Washington DC by a neck in 58.18s, with the pair comfortably clear, and recorded a season-leading 123 timefigure in the process. By way of comparison, only two older horses – Mecca’s Angel and Postponed – ran a better figure in Britain and Ireland in 2016 once weight-for-sex is factored back in.