Adayar (5/6 favourite), who enjoyed his finest hour when successful in the 2021 Derby, made a successful seasonal reappearance in the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket on Sunday.

The contest had originally been scheduled to take place at Sandown Park on April 28th but was switched to Newmarket after waterlogging caused the former to be abandoned.

Partnered by William Buick, the Frankel horse took the lead from stable companion Highland Avenue entering the final quarter mile and lengthened impressively for a two and a half lengths success over the staying-on Anmaat. Having scored over 10 furlongs today, connections are keen to try and bag a Group 1 contest over the same distance in 2023 with Adayar.

Winning trainer Charlie Appley said: “William said it was tiring ground out there and he got tired. He didn’t handle the Dip but good horses can overcome those negatives and still do what he has done. I’m very pleased to get him back on track.

“I’m just pleased he has had a nice experience out there today and he will definitely come forward for the run. One would imagine that all systems lead to the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. They are two great racehorses (Adayar and Hurricane Lane) and it was great to get the pair of them back this week but we feel the mile and a half is hopefully Hurricane Lane’s division this year and I’ve always wanted to get Adayar to win a Group 1 over a mile and a quarter just as I think it will look good on his CV.

"It was (very important the gallop he had up here). It was a nice piece of work but he lugged a little bit that day as he got tired that day. He definitely came forward for that piece and it was a good job he did as it was tiring ground out there today. We thought we were 90% there and it was a good job where we were as it was testing conditions out there.

“He ran a great race in the Champion Stakes there so I wasn’t really nervous to be honest with you. I was excited about seeing him to be honest with you. Full credit to the team at home as I thought he looked great and he will come forward for the run.

"I said to the team at the start of the week I’m bringing up three classic winners and it could be a long week if none of these go in but they have all run incredibly well. Hurricane Lane I was incredibly delighted with. This horse has been easier in respects of chatting to you guys as with Hurricane Lane everyone was questioning whether it was the right thing to do or not but when he answered it the way he did the other day I was delighted.

“They went a sensible gallop there today but when he gets a nice strong pace to run at in the Prince Of Wales’s it will suit him down to the ground and we know he loves Ascot. It was a frustrating time having to sit through the summer watching some great racehorses (win those middle distance races) when we had a racehorse that we were very excited about in the spring miss three parts of the season. Hopefully we will make up a bit of headway again.

“It (the ground) was a concern but at the end of the day he is an older horse and he has run on the ground enough times so he knows how to handle it. That (will be my first thought to keep him to 10 furlongs). In the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes we will take on the best mile and a quarter horses and no disrespect to those horses today they were Group 3 horses, although I know one had won a Group 2 in France but we will be meeting proper Group 1 horses at Ascot so there will be no hiding places for him there.”

Owen Burrows, trainer of the runner-up Anmaat, said: “It was a solid run. I thought we were up against it giving 5lbs to Adayar and he’s run his race. He needed to get his season started so I thought it was a good solid run. He battled away and it’s tough out there, it’s hard work.

“It was his first run of the year and we were giving away 5lbs so it’s solid. He’s obviously in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in around three weeks’ time and the Prix d'Ispahan in France, so we’ll see how he comes out of this.

“We might try him over a little bit further at some stage. I don’t know when but we’ll see.”