Treble for Beckett

Kinross could only finish third in the July Cup at Newmarket but otherwise it was a very good day at the office for Ralph Beckett. The stable's double Group 1 winner ran well behind Shaquille but there were no excuses for the six year old. Well positioned behind Julie Camacho's winner, he couldn't quicken inside the final furlong and will appreciate the return to seven furlongs in either the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood or City of York Stakes, or both. 

Stablemate Biggles ran out a comfortable winner of the Bunbury Cup under Ryan Moore. The Zoffany gelding had shaped well from a poor draw in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last month and enjoyed the slower ground on the July course. Never far off the pace, the outcome wasn't in doubt once the Beckett runner saw daylight and he pulled away to win by a couple of lengths. Later on the same card, it was galling to see Davideo win the finale, the twelve furlongs handicap. Having tipped the three year old in the King George V Stakes in the Royal Ascot Update, the Galileo colt was given a kamikaze ride on that occasion going much too fast during the early stages. A spent force by the time he turned for home, the Al Shaqab owned runner eventually finished last. It was therefore no surprise to see connections change the jockey here and Rob Hornby gave Davideo a much more sensible and patient ride. A length winner, he looks Melrose Stakes material.

The Ralph Beckett treble was completed when La Isla Mujeres made a mockery of her opening mark of 78 when trouncing her opponents by upwards of seven lengths on her handicap debut at Salisbury. A filly by Lope De Vega out of a Lingfield Oaks Trial winner, she coped with the drop back to ten furlongs but is bred to be even better over a mile and a half. Don't be surprised if she lines up in something like the Listed Galtres Stakes at York next month.

Talking of Royal Ascot, another of the selections from the Update, namely Blue For You, won the opening one mile handicap at York in convincing fashion. The New Approach gelding was recording his second win on the Knavesmire and is likely to return for the Clipper Logistics Handicap, which he won last year, in August. David O'Meara's runners at the Royal meeting performed poorly and are in much better form now and the five year old outclassed his rivals here off a mark of 99,