Newbury’s Lockinge Stakes has seem some tip-top milers on its roll of honour through the years. Kris, top sire Cape Cross, Rakti and of course Frankel are some of the standouts. It was upgraded to Group 1 status in 1995 and frequently sees the four-year-old debut of some of the top milers of the previous classic season.

AN outstanding performance was the case 17 years ago when we witnessed one of the most mesmerising displays on a racetrack in the last 20 years when Aidan O’Brien sent the previous year’s Guineas and Derby runner-up Hawk Wing out for his four-year-old debut.

Despite heroic runs behind his stable companions Rock Of Gibraltar and High Chaparral in the 2000 Guineas and Derby, he only had one Group 1 success to his name at three, in an Eclipse Stakes that lacked its usual quality.

At Newbury Mick Kinane sent him to the front and he made all down the centre of the track to have the race won a furlong and a half out. It was 11 lengths back to Where Or When, a reversal of 13 lengths on the QEII form of the previous autumn, and the Group 1 winner Domediver was even further back. Timeform rated the winner on 136. He only ran once more in the Queen Anne Stakes and was injured and retired.

THE Richard Hannon yard trained four winners of the Lockinge in six years, from 2010 to 2015, and among the most popular was Paco Boy who won the race 10 years ago in 2010.

Bred in Co Louth by Mrs Joan Browne, the son of Desert Style had a Group 1 to his name at three and at four in the Prix de la Foret and Queen Anne Stakes respectively and was odds-on to add another top level success at Newbury having already won the Bet365Mile at Sandown on his first outing of the season.

Confidently ridden as usual by Richard Hughes, he made his ground on the bridle and quickened away from the furlong pole to beat Ouqba and Lord Shanakill. It was a win that left Hannon Snr quite emotional in the winner’s enclosure.

It would also prove to be the last success on the track for the popular colt but he continued to run with distinction against top class horses that season, finishing a close second to Goldikova in the Queen Anne and Prix de la Foret before finishing fourth to her in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. He retired to Highclere Stud and his best progeny to-date are Galileo Gold and Beat The Bank.

FIVE years ago it was another Hannon colt that took the spoils when Night Of Thunder, in the Godolphin colours, beat his stable companion Toormore by a neck under James Doyle.

Night Of Thunder had won the previous year’s 2000 Guineas under Kieren Fallon when sent off at 40/1 and by the end of the season that looked a fortuitous win as the second and third, Kingman and Australia, had achieved a lot more than he had on the track.

Sent off at joint favourite at 11/4, the son of Dubawi stayed on strongly and looked set for a good season but proved no match for Solow and others at Royal Ascot and Goodwood.

He now stands at Kildangan Stud and has had a very successful start to his stud career.