THE Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes saw Shropshire-based Dave Loughnane not only train his first pattern-race winner, but also provide the third-placed finisher in this juvenile contest at Ascot on Sunday.

The 5/1 shot Santosha (Tom Greatrex) always travelled well behind the pace set by stable-companion Caroline Dale (Hollie Doyle). The daughter of Coulsty took over at around the two-furlong pole and kept on well to repel the late challenge of Hala Hala Hala (Kevin Ryan/Oisin Murphy) by three-quarters of a length, with the same distance back to Caroline Dale, who rallied for third.

A delighted Loughnane reacted to his first group win: “It’s great to have my first group winner at Ascot. It’s the Mecca, isn’t it, everyone wants to train winners here. We work very hard and we have had a lot of luck along the way, but it’s the icing on the cake that our first group winner is here.

“Today was the plan, but the Lowther would have to be one of the next on her list. There are quite a few options in France for her. We’ll sit down with the owners and make a plan from there. The owners, Susan and Paddy Lynas, mentioned the Cheveley Park Stakes after she ran in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (close third to Dandalla) and if she keeps going in the right direction, that’s where we will be.”

Greatrex’s praise

This was also a first group success for the winning rider, who was full of praise for horse and trainer: “She was impressive and still improving, and it was great to get my first group winner today. It is what we work towards. It is something I never really thought I would be doing, and it’s great to get the opportunity from Dave; he and the team at home support me a lot.”

THE Group 3 Betfred Valiant Stakes saw a wide-margin win for 12/1 outsider Lady Bowthorpe (William Jarvis/Kieran Shoemark), who started a big move from the rear with a quarter of a mile to run, and kept on really well to win by four and three-quarter lengths from Farzeen (Roger Varian/David Egan), who edged Look Around (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) by a head for second.

The four-year-old was winning an all-weather handicap at Lingfield off a BHA rating of 81 last month, and was beaten in handicap and listed company since, but is clearly much improved, even if taking a conservative view of this form.

William Haggas’s market leader Miss O’Connor, a maiden winner for Johnny Feane last spring, has done all her winning for new connections in testing ground, and she disappointed here, as did her main rival Agincourt.

Billesdon Brook was withdrawn and this ended up a weak race for the grade as a result.

Plans are fluid for Lady Bowthorpe, but as a Group 3-winning half-sister to recent Ballycorus Stakes and Greenlands Stakes winner Speak In Colours, she’s already an attractive broodmare proposition, and her rider is convinced she can win over one and a quarter miles.

Late developer Aspetar looks the part

THE Group 3 York Stakes went the way of Roger Charlton’s Aspetar (Jason Watson), who was gaining his biggest win on home soil having won the Group 1 Preis von Europa at Cologne last autumn.

The son of Al Kazeem was returned a generous 11/1 as he proved one and a half lengths too good for Fox Chairman (Andrew Balding/Silvestre de Sousa), with Lord Glitters (David O’Meara/Danny Tudhope) beaten by a total of two lengths in third.

Race favourite and 2019 winner Elarqam was disappointing again, and doesn’t appear as good as he was last season.

Like his sire, Aspetar is something of a late developer, but he looked a cut above his rivals here – more so than the margins would suggest – and the Juddmonte International Stakes over course and distance next month is an obvious next step.

Charlton commented: “It was a really good effort; some of his rivals might have been disappointing but they can’t all have been. Ten or 12 furlongs, it doesn’t seem to matter as long as he switches off and settles. We will see what goes for the International and take it from there.”