LEOPARDSTOWN’S Desmond Stakes witnessed the winning return to action of a promising three-year-old, if not the one that had been expected. Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hit It A Bomb started favourite, and looked like winning for a long way, but caved in late to finish third to Tribal Beat and Cougar Mountain.

The overall time was a decent one and resulted in Tribal Beat getting a timefigure of 108, while times more widely on the card hint that the ground may have been more testing than the official “good to firm”, even after allowing for the effects of a brisk wind.

All in all, Hit It A Bomb probably did perfectly well in a truly-run race which tested stamina and fitness more than might have been anticipated.

The group races which took place in Britain towards the end of last week were rather tame ones and did little to quicken the pulse from a timing point of view.

Richard Pankhurst was best in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury, posting a 112 timefigure (a somewhat underwhelming best of the week) in defeating Home Of The Brave by a length. The runner-up is smart, but not top-drawer material and seemed to give his running yet again.

Kings Fete’s win in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes on the same card came in an extremely tactical affair (timefigure of just 72) in which he got the run of things in front, and there is an argument to be made that runner-up Ormito would have beaten him ridden less patiently.

The Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury on Thursday offered a good opportunity for the 2000 Guineas second Massaat, but he ran dismally behind Zonderland (who had been sixth at Newmarket).

This was a personal best for Zonderland in form terms, but his timefigure of 106 was a bit below his peak of 109.