A Bit Of Spirit (Ire)

After a rare three-way head-bob at the culmination of Saturday's G3 Solario Stakes at Sandown, Paul and Clare Rooney were celebrating as the 2-1 favourite A Bit Of Spirit (Palace Pier) prevailed by the smallest of margins. Locked in a tussle to the line with Oceans Four (Zoustar) and Humidity (Ulysses), the son of Darley's red-hot first-crop sire who had been second in the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes and Listed Stonehenge Stakes was ultimately inches in front where it counts. Two nose margins told the tale, with Godolphin's Pacific Avenue...

With the two only realistic contenders of the three runners contesting Wednesday's Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury, Darley's first-season sire Palace Pier was almost guaranteed to make his breakthrough in black-type company and so it proved as Morris Dancer led home A Bit Of Spirit for a neat one-two. Runner-up in the Vintage at Goodwood last month, Godolphin's homebred surprisingly drifted to 11-10 second favouritism to see off the Clive Cox-trained 5-6 market-leader and after taking over from that peer approaching the furlong pole drew away...