THE biggest race in the past week in Britain and Ireland, in what was a quiet period at the top level, was the Group 2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood. It is not always much of a race for the level, but this year’s edition was well up to scratch and produced the joint best timefigure nearer to home.

Arod ensured a good pace and that worked perfectly for the same owner’s Lightning Spear, who is customarily held up and who had occasionally been set too much to do. Lightning Spear swept through to lead late on and beat Zonderland by a length and three-quarters, in the process recording a time just 0.35s outside the track record.