Connections will plot a path with Anmaat after his comeback success in the Rose of Lancaster at Haydock.

The Shadwell-owned gelding has shown plenty of talent in the past, progressing through an array of valuable handicaps before taking his first Group 3 race in the 2022 renewal of the aforementioned Haydock contest.

He stepped immediately up to Group 2 level to end that season on a high when landing the Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp, proving his ability to cope with testing ground.

In 2023, Anmaat was beaten only by Derby hero Adayar when returning to action in the Gordon Richards Stakes, after which he broke new ground to land the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan in May.

The latter run was his last of 2023 and a long, 439-day absence from the racecourse followed as injury kept him out of action until his comeback at the weekend.

Contesting the Rose of Lancaster again, he started as the 8/11 favourite under Jim Crowley and blew away the cobwebs to prevail by a neck from Jack Channon’s Certain Lad.

Most importantly

“He seems fine after Saturday and that was the most important thing to us, that he’s come out of it well,” said Burrows.

“It was very pleasing to get him back on the track – and for him to be able to win was great.

“I had half earmarked the race Alflaila won at York (the York Stakes) for him but that was just going to come a few weeks too soon.

“He’d won the Rose of Lancaster before and with Alflaila winning the York race, it’s actually worked out perfectly.”

Onwards and upwards

Burrows expects Anmaat to come on from his Haydock effort and will see how he fares in the coming weeks before shoring up plans for his next start.

“He took a run last year, he was second to Adayar in the rearranged Gordon Richards and he took a big step forward,” he said.

“I’d like to think he would be similar this time, we were fortunate that there was no Adayar to contend with and we were good enough to get away with it.

“It was a hard enough race first time. He’s got an Irish Champion Stakes entry, not to say that will come too soon, but we might not want to put him straight into something like that.

“He’s also got his British Champion entry as well, he’s proven that he goes on soft ground, so we’ll just let the dust settle, I’ll speak to (owner) Sheikha Hissa, Angus (Gold) and Richard (Hills) and we’ll make a bit of a plan.”