ASIDE from the group-race action at Haydock, there was also a competitive race for the Listed Cecil Frail Stakes for fillies and mares, where Theresa Marnane’s colours were carried to victory by Forever In Dreams.

Like the Marnanes’ 2017 Albany Stakes winner Different League, Forever In Dreams was trained as a juvenile by Matthieu Palussiere in France, winning her first two races before a tilt at the Queen Mary, where she ran creditably despite finding the trip on the sharp side.

Transferred to the stable of rookie handler Aidan Fogarty this spring, she ran an encouraging race on her comeback at Cork, and clearly derived plenty of benefit from that outing to give the trainer a first British winner with his only runner to date.

“She’s actually in the Commonwealth Cup, so we might go there” said a visibly delighted Fogarty, after the grey daughter of Dream Ahead had come from off the pace under Martin Dwyer to secure a snug victory.

It left her irrepressible breeder Con Marnane dreaming of putting one over the big guns again at the Royal meeting, just as he did with Different League, who defeated none other than Alpha Centauri when winning two years ago.

Con Marnane is in the business of selling youngsters, and Bansha House Stables has few peers as a consignor of future pattern winners, but he’s not afraid to race those he feels are undervalued by the market, and the success of such ventures feeds back into the main business. Different League was unsold at just £14,000, but earned Marnane 1.5 million guineas when resold at the end of her juvenile campaign, and only a fool would ignore runners in the yellow and black silks based on their sales price.

MARK Johnston’s (right) Elarqam has been disappointing since his fourth in last year’s 2000 Guineas, but having suffered a hairline fracture of the pelvis and undergone wind surgery, he belatedly picked up the progressive thread when winning the Listed Festival Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday. While the level of competition must be noted, he did beat Thundering Blue by six lengths, having finished behind that horse in the SkyBet York Stakes last summer.

It’s possible that the Menuisier star is still working his way back to peak form, but this run suggests that Elarqam, confidently ridden by Dane O’Neill, is back on track, and he may yet hit the heights expected of him after his impressive juvenile campaign.

Splitting the pair in second was 1.9 million gns purchase Willie John. The son of Dansili has some way to go to realise that sort of price tag but this was probably his best effort yet and a step in the right direction.