Tenability and trainer William Haggas both remained in excellent form as success in the valuable Silent Pool Gin Handicap was the highlight of a fruitful afternoon at Ascot.
The three-year-old has run six times to date and after getting off the mark at Windsor in June, he has followed a consistent upwards trajectory into the handicapping sphere when winning his three most recent starts.
A course-and-distance triumph at the Shergar Cup led into a return to Ascot, where he went off at 85-40 under Cieren Fallon and proved he had more to offer still with a one-length victory.
“I had to just pull him out and light him up when I needed him most, in hindsight I could have sat longer and he probably would still have won anyway,” Fallon told Sky Sports Racing.
“He’s a horse that is going through the ranks, he did very well to win here the last day and he’s improved from then.
“When he felt a bit of pressure, I could feel I still had a bit of horse left underneath me. I really like this horse, he’s done everything the right way round.”
It was also successful day at the office for Fallon, who won the Silent Pool Gin ‘Confined’ Handicap as Haggas’ Crown Of Oaks came out on top by six and a half lengths as the 8-11 favourite.
The trainer said: “He ran a nice race as a two-year-old but he was awful at Redcar earlier in the year so we gelded him. He was good today in a trappy race. I thought he’d half ran off with Cieren to start with, but he settled into a good rhythm and won well.
“He’s in the Cambridgeshire and everyone else seems to think he’s got a chance, but he’s got to get in. The penalty for winning today will help. I don’t suppose he’ll run off 85 again for a while, so we probably ought to have a look at that.”
The Haggas treble was then completed by Abloom in the tote UK British EBF Premier Fillies’ Handicap, who won in good style under Marco Ghiani as the 2-1 favourite.
The Schweppes Handicap, another significant prize, went the way of Native Warrior, ridden by Jamie Spencer and trained by Karl Burke for owners Wathnan Racing.
After starting as the 100-30 favourite, the four-year-old built on some competitive efforts this season to prevail by a length and a half.
“Karl just said to get plenty of cover, I was a bit further back than ideal but he came alive,” said Spencer.
“He was quite lazy early in the race and when he hits the front he doesn’t do much, James Doyle has ridden him and he said the same.
“He was a little bit unlucky at Goodwood because he was slow away, it’s a bit easier on a straight track when that happens.”