Saffron Beach made the most of dropping back to Group 3 level as she regained the winning thread in the Betway Atalanta Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.

The New Bay filly was a Group 2 winner as a juvenile and has been highly tried by Jane Chapple-Hyam this term, finishing second in the Nell Gwyn Stakes on her seasonal bow before again filling the runner-up spot in the 1000 Guineas in May.

She then switched up to 12 furlongs for a crack the Oaks, where she finished a distant eighth behind Snowfall, while a return to a mile in the Falmouth Stakes again yielded little joy.

Off the track since that run at the beginning of July, Saffron Beach was sent off a 9/2 shot to get back on track in this mile heat – and Hollie Doyle had her tucked in behind early leaders Auria and Maamora before making her move in the straight.

Saffron Beach showed a nice change of pace to take it up with two furlongs to run – and she was well on top in the closing stages, with Doyle keeping her up to the task to win by two and a quarter lengths.

Waliyak finished with purpose to take second, while outsider Ville De Grace was back in third.