SEA Silk Road evidently read the script when winning the first running of the Group 3 Lester Piggott Stakes, the race formerly known as the Pinnacle Stakes, at Haydock Park on Saturday.

Named after the legendary 11 times champion jockey, who rode his first and last winners at the Merseyside track in a career which spanned 46 years, it was fitting that it was won by the William Haggas-trained winner with Lester’s daughter Maureen on hand, along with her siblings Tracy and Jamie Piggott.

Only sixth on her reappearance at York in Group 2 company, the Sea The Stars filly appreciated the drop in grade and step up in distance. A listed winner and runner-up in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer, she also relished the quickening conditions under a well timed ride by Tom Marquand. Moving into contention in the home straight, she readily reeled in the German raider Nachtrose to win going away by three quarters of a length.

Granted a dry summer, Sea Silk Road ought to be in for a productive few months with a return to the same track for the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks (July 8th) almost certainly on the cards.

Pongee (2004) and Manuela De Vega (2020) managed the Pinnacle/Lester Piggott Stakes and Lancashire Oaks double and this filly looks capable of adding her name to the list. This time last year, the Haggas stable were hitting top form with 25 winners from 76 runners in May and another 22 successes in June.

That hasn’t been replicated in 2023 with only 13 winners last month. The floodgates at Somerville Lodge may be about to open.

CLAREHAVEN Stables on the Bury Road in Newmarket is already blessed with a plethora of top class fillies with Emily Upjohn, Free Wind, Inspiral, Nashwa and Soul Sister amongst its occupants.

The twice raced Al Asifah is making a salient case that she will be adding her name to that illustrious list shortly following her emphatic success in listed company at Goodwood last Sunday.

A Shadwell-owned daughter of Frankel out of the former Kevin Prendergast trained Aneen, she didn’t make her first public appearance until late last month when trouncing a handful of opponents in a 10-furlong maiden fillies’ contest at Haydock. Elevated in class in the space of 17 days, she was sent off odds on favourite for the 10-furlong Agnes Keyser Fillies’ Stakes, an event which was previously hosted at Newbury, and breezed to the front with two furlongs to travel before extending six and a half lengths clear.

The runner-up and third were rated 94 and 98 and were dealt with contempt by Jim Crowley’s partner. Speedy Boarding (2015) and Sea Of Class (2018) won the same race en route to Group 1 glory and it is not hard to envisage this filly doing likewise.

In his customary manner, Thady Gosden remained tight-lipped regarding future plans, but racing manager Angus Gold didn’t rule out connections forking out the handsome supplementary fee for the Irish Oaks (July 22nd). If kept to shorter trips, a return to West Sussex for the Nassau Stakes (August 3rd) could be on the cards.

SIMILAR to William Haggas, it is fair to say champion trainer Charlie Appleby’s string weren’t at their peak in May (12 winners from 65 runners) or during the first half of June.

However, with Royal Ascot getting underway on Tuesday, it is hoped the Moulton Paddocks team will resume normal service this week. It is possible that the once-raced Ancient World could make a quick reappearance in the Chesham Stakes next Saturday following a striking performance on his debut at Haydock this month.

A colt by Dubawi, who cost €2,000,000 at the Arqana Deauville Yearling Sales last summer, he had reportedly shone in his work at home beforehand and that was translated to the track with a smooth five-length win in a seven-furlong novice stakes – a contest which had seen subsequent Royal Ascot winners Juan Elcano and Subjectivist battle it out four years earlier.

Impressive

Having travelled strongly in behind the pacesetters Dallas Star and Under The Sun, James Doyle’s mount clocked impressive sectionals during the fifth and sixth furlongs of 11.41 and 11.01 seconds to quickly settle the issue. Time will tell what the form amounts to – all seven runners were having their first start - but expect Godolphin’s winner to receive some smart entries in the coming weeks.

Ancient World’s dam was a Group 3 winner over 12 furlongs and is therefore eligible for the Chesham Stakes next weekend. Appleby won the listed event with Pinatubo in 2019. Alternatively, he could wait for something like the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting (July 15th) – the stable have won four of the last seven renewals, including with subsequent Irish 2000 Guineas winner Native Trail in 2021. Either way, he looks a colt with a bright future.

THE unbeaten Elite Status will be many punters banker for Royal Ascot when the Karl Burke-trained colt lines up in the Norfolk Stakes on Thursday following his demolition job in the Listed National Stakes at Sandown last month.

The Spigot Lodge team in Middleham are also responsible for a leading player in the Queen Mary Stakes 24 hours earlier after Beautiful Diamond lit up an otherwise run of the mill midweek card at Nottingham with a dazzling display of speed in a five-furlong maiden fillies’ stakes. A grey filly by Twilight Son, she was acquired for a cool £360,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale in late April and didn’t waste any time in her attempt to claw back her hefty purchase price.

Professional throughout, Clifford Lee’s mount showed plenty of early speed before gliding to the front between the two and one markers and the result was never in doubt thereafter.

The Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum-owned filly ran the last three furlongs in 33.37 seconds with her best figure coming in the third furlong (10.71 seconds).

Neither the second or third had raced before but the fourth and eighth had shaped well on their previous outings.

The 14-day turnaround is a concern but Royal Ascot juvenile winning stablemates Ardad (six days in 2016) and Calyx (10 days in 2018) both managed it, so don’t be surprised if this exciting prospect follows suit. Incidentally, the 2003 Queen Mary Stakes winner Attraction also began her career with a win at Colwick Park.

TALKING of Mark Johnston’s five-time Group 1 winner, it is 20 years since Attraction completed the Hilary Needler Trophy and Queen Mary Stakes double. In those days, the former event held listed status until it was removed in 2011.

Midnight Affair has the opportunity to become the first filly to win both since the former dual Guineas winner following her length-and-a-quarter win at Beverley last Saturday. An unlucky second behind the highly regarded Soprano at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting in May, the Clipper Logistics-owned filly atoned for that with a cosy win on the Westwood under Danny Tudhope.

Switched to the outside, she made good headway before leading inside the final furlong with Richard Fahey confirming afterwards that the Queen Mary Stakes is the plan. However, the filly to take from the race may prove to be the runner-up Flora Of Bermuda who could well have prevailed with a clearer passage in the latter stages.

Like the winner, she is a daughter of Dark Angel and was another expensive breeze-up buy (£340,000). Trained by Andrew Balding, she had performed encouragingly on her first start at Sandown less than a month earlier. Following a sluggish start, she found herself behind early on but was soon in contention and full of running inside the final quarter of a mile.

Oisin Murphy’s mount was denied a run with a furlong to travel and, by the time a gap appeared, the winner had got first run. With two runs under her belt, the experience won’t be lost on Flora Of Bermuda and she could still make an impact if heading to Royal Ascot this week. Tactical was still a maiden before winning the Windsor Castle Stakes for the Kingsclere outfit in 2020.