Rest of Newbury review and free video replays on Lockinge Stakes day

A review of the rest of the action on Lockinge day at Newbury.

Eydon smashes it out of the Park

Andrew Balding will consider shooting for the stars with Eydon, who got his career back on track when securing his first win in more than three years in the Sky Sports Racing Aston Park Stakes at Newbury.

The talented but fragile six-year-old, who finished fourth in the 2022 2000 Guineas, was making just the 10th start of his career and only second outing over a mile and a half in the Group Three contest.

Racing just off the early pace, which was set by eventual third El Cordobes, the 16-1 chance moved on into a lead he would hold on all the way to the line as the field raced on past the two furlong pole.

And those who had any doubts about his stamina needed not to have worried with the son of Olden Times, whose last win came in the 2022 Feilden Stakes at Newmarket when trained by Roger Varian, finding plenty late on to defeat Tabletalk by a length and a quarter.

Balding said: “He has been a project. He has been the Eydon Project. Every time we felt we had him right he has gone wrong and this was the first time where we have had six weeks without any problems.

“It was just lots of little things he had. They were all unrelated, but it was just one thing after another.

“He has had so many issues at home since we have had him and it was the same for Roger (Varian), but he had a very high level of form for him as he was fourth in the 2000 Guineas.

“This was always the aim and we were keen to get him back on a sound surface and you have seen the best of him today.”

A trip to France next month for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud looks to be on the cards for Eydon according to the Kingsclere handler.

He added: “I’ve not spoken to the Prince (Faisal) yet so I don’t want to be jumping the gun, but I thought something like the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud could work for him. It looks like a logical target.

“He is a high class horse and it would be lovely to have a go at the top level again. He saw it out pretty well today and I think the opportunities are there for him over a mile and a half.”

Saddadd strikes Gold for Varian

Saddadd can expect to form part of trainer Roger Varian’s team for Royal Ascot after showing a steely determination to land the Trade Nation London Gold Cup Handicap.

Having finished second in a course and distance novice contest at the track 36 days ago, the son of Pinatubo went one better to scoop the most significant success of his career.

Always to the fore of matters the well-supported 11/4 favourite was asked for his effort inside the final two furlongs of the valuable mile and a quarter contest by Silvestre de Sousa.

Although the Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum-owned colt took time to hit top gear once he soon made up the ground required before getting up in the closing strides to defeat Lightning Main by a neck to give Varian his first winner at the course in more than 18 months.

Varian said: “He is a lovely horse. He is an easy horse to work with as he is very laid back. He has a big heart and he is from a family we know well as we trained his mother Talmada, who was a good filly.

“I think this horse will keep improving and he has done nothing wrong in all of his starts. I thought he would come here and run well. I was a touch worried about the ground.

“It was quick ground, but there was no jar in it and the course have done a great job.

“He would appreciate a little bit more give when it comes.

“He looked like he would gradually grind it out. He was on the charge from fully three furlongs down and he had to sustain that challenge and see the trip out well.

“He had to show good grit and he has got all those attributes so hopefully he can keep on improving.”

Following the race, which Varian last won with subsequent Group One winner Defoe in 2017, he hinted that the Group Three Hampton Court Stakes at the Royal meeting could now be on the agenda for Saddadd.

He added: “I would say 10 furlongs for now. When you see this horse on good or good to soft you will see a stringer performance. I think that was a good performance today, but there is more to come and he is an exciting horse for the summer. The race has a great history of producing pattern performers.

“He was carrying a lot of weight, and he gave the second a lot of weight, so I thought it was a good weight carrying performance, perhaps not on his ideal conditions.

“We will see how he comes out of the race as that is the most important thing, but he might deserve a crack at something like the Hampton Court as I thought that was a good weight carrying performance today.”

Honour lands Carnarvon in good style

Charlie Appleby will go back and scour the programme book for bigger and better targets for Symbol Of Honour who returned to winning ways in the Highclere Castle Gin Carnarvon Stakes.

After securing a brace of wins over six furlongs in Meydan at the start of the year the gelded son of Havana Grey finished sixth stepped up an extra furlong in the Listed King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket earlier this month.

However, a return to sprinting at the same level saw the Godolphin-owned gelding have too many gears for favourite Ides Of March with a length and three quarters separating the pair at the line.

And although as a gelding it prevents Symbol Of Honour from contesting the Commonwealth Cup at the Royal meeting Appleby believes he is a sprinter that can progress through the ranks.

Appleby said: “Dropping back to six furlongs has been the making of him. We saw him over six furlongs in Dubai. Some of these sprinters take a while to get the hang of it and he is physically doing well and mentally doing well.

“They have gone a good gallop there and he is a strong traveller. If anything Will (Buick) said he got there a bit too soon, but it was good to get him back on track.

“The conditions were here to suit today in respects that the slick track would suit him as we saw that in Dubai as with dropping back to six furlongs.

“We were confident but we knew we had the favourite to beat. We felt we had a bit to find to beat the favourite on bare evidence, but with some of these three year old sprinters some are going the right way and thankfully he seems like he is.

“Where we go now I’ll have to have a look as he won’t be a Jersey type. Will said A he didn’t handle the track at Newmarket and B he didn’t really see it out.

“I had him pencilled in as a Jersey horse after Dubai, but on the evidence of Newmarket Will was adamant to come back to six furlongs.

“I’m sure you could do (go abroad with him). The honest answer is I don’t know where we go with him. I will go back and have a look on Monday.”

An appearance in the Commonwealth Cup may not be on the horizon for Symbol Of Honour, but it remains one of two Group One options at the Royal meeting alongside the St James’s Palace Stakes for his stablemate, and this year’s 2000 Guineas third, Shadow Of Light.

Appleby added: “I’m going to sit on the fence still with him. I’m quietly confident he will still get the mile.

“It is hard to assess as if you go through all the speed figures it wasn’t an end-to-end gallop. It is hard to say he gets the mile on the back of that.

“We will just watch the Irish 2000 Guineas and see what develops there as whoever wins that will probably naturally become favourite for the St James’s Palace Stakes and we can work out how close we were to them.”

Aramram gets deserved win

Richard Hannon may have had to settle for a supporting role with Rosallion, but he was delighted to see stablemate Aramram gain a deserved change of luck in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Handicap.

Having finished second in his last four starts the Blue Point colt finally turned silver into gold in the valuable six furlong contest to set up a potential tilt at the Wokingham Royal meeting.

With Ryan Moore taking over steering duties for the first time aboard the four year old there was to be no hard luck story on this occasion with the three-time champion jockey pushing the 2/1 favourite out to score by a length.

Hannon said: “That was a nice performance and he deserved to win one as he had been close on his last four starts. Ryan was very complimentary about him after the race.

“You would have to have a look at the Wokingham I’d imagine now at Royal Ascot as that would seem a sensible target.

“He is progressing well and he might be one that is capable of taking a step out of handicap company at some stage.”

Varian on Cloud nine

My Cloud still has a way to go to match the exploits of his Group One winning half-brother Palace Pier, but he continued to head in the right direction with victory in the Boylesports Home Of The Early Payout Handicap.

Arriving chasing a third win in succession the son of Blue Point was sent off the 5/6 favourite to get the job done and complete doubles on the day for Classic winning handler Varian and jockey de Sousa.

Although favourite backers had a few anxious moments the odds-on favourite got up in the nick of time in the mile prize to defeat Boyfriend by a head and set up a tilt at next month’s Royal Hunt Cup.

Varian said: “It was a nervous watch because it was a messy race. They went so steady and got strung out and he got a bit far behind.

“He did well to win as it is not easy making up ground off a steady gallop. He is still learning as that was only his fifth race.

“He will get an entry in the Royal Hunt Cup and that would be the obvious race for him. He is a lovely horse and he will suit the stiff mile.

“He won there (Ascot), but it wasn’t much of a race he won there the other day. He will suit the set-up of a Royal Hunt Cup.

“The owner has been very patient and we have to be grateful for that and he is getting rewarded with a nice horse.”

Rest of Newbury review and free video replays on Lockinge Stakes day

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