KHAADEM (Charlie Hills/Ryan Moore) looked to have the world at his feet when winning the Stewards’ Cup here as a three-year-old, but his ascent to the top has not been smooth thereafter.

Indeed, he’s still yet to be placed at the top level, but the ex-Shadwell gelding got his career back on track when winning the Group 3 Palace House Stakes on his return, and he built on that to add this Group 2 feature to his CV.

He ran on strongly to withhold the late challenge of Raasel (Mick Appleby/James Doyle) by a neck, with Caturra (Clive Cox/Tom Marquand) running his best race to be beaten just a length into third.

The field was taken along by the Czech runner Ponntos, and Frankie Dettori gradually took his mount, and the following pack, towards the far rail.

The leader began to send out distress signals after blazing a trail for almost four furlongs, and Moore produced Khaadem to lead at the furlong pole, pursued by stablemate Equilateral, Clarendon House, and Lazuli, but none of that trio could respond, and it was left to Raasel to come through from a poor position and get nearest the 8/1 winner.

Ran well

Khaadem ran well in the Diamond Jubilee and the July Cup on his only starts as a four-year-old and has bounced back from a year in the wilderness to produce his best efforts this season, although his big effort to be second in the King’s Stand Stakes did come without the burden of a jockey.

Rocchigiani strikes for German success

THE Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes looked very open on paper, and saw a couple of different favourites through the day, but in the end it was the German challenger Rocchigiani (Peter Schiergen/Tom Marquand), an 11/2 shot who coped best with the track and conditions, beating outsider The Wizard Of Eye (Stan Moore/James Doyle) and Sonny Liston (Charlie Hills/Kieran Shoemark) in the 1m event for three-year-olds.

Rocchigiani made a strong challenge for the lead at the two furlong marker, but hung right as he did so, impeding the weakening Hotline Bling, who had set a strong pace. It looked like that might cost him, but Marquand straightened him up again and renewed his challenge, keeping on best to win by three-parts of a length and the same in a rather messy race.

The winner was fifth in the Jersey Stakes, and prior to that had been runner-up in the German 2000 Guineas, with The Wizard of Eye fifth in that contest. The latter showed that he hadn’t done himself justice there, and closed the gap considerably here, with the result a boost to the form of Cologne winner Maljoom.

There were several disappointments, with both Bayside Boy and Checkandchallenge in particular looking ill-at-ease on the track, while Berkshire Shadow travelled best of all but found zero when asked and isn’t one to trust.

Nice horse

Schiergen said: “Rocchigiani is a nice horse. He travelled well in the race and the pace was good for him. The form in Germany was very good. The horse is a speed horse, and he likes leading horses.

“The owners like Goodwood and always come here. This is my first winner here today. We have not had many runners and it is not easy to do.

“I looked from race to race after Ascot, and we will chat about what to do now. His last race was seven furlongs, but the mile is a little better for him. Maybe we will come back to England next.”

Romance tops Godolphin pair

REBEL’S Romance (Charlie Appleby/Will Buick) made a winning turf debut when beating stablemate Kemari in the Listed Fred Archer Stakes at Newmarket last month.

The pair staged a repeat of that contest here, dominating the Group 3 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Glorious Stakes.

Frankie Dettori made most of the running on Kemari, who rallied when challenged by the 4/5 favourite inside the final furlong, reducing the distance he was beaten from three and a quarter lengths to a length.

Fancy Man (Richard Hannon/Sean Levey) was a length and three-quarters back in third in the mile and a half event.

This was not a particularly inspiring contest for the meeting, with many of the runners frustrating sorts, but the winner is building up a positive profile, and was heavily backed to suggest he’s well thought of.

He has been racing on dirt in Meydan, but is clearly a better horse on turf.

Handicap win

David O’Meara had four runners in the Coral Golden Mile Handicap and he trained the one-two with Orbaan sprinting through under Jason Watson to beat better fancied stable companuion Blue For You and record a three and a quarter-length victory at 20/1.