Eve Johnson Houghton’s Juniper Berries pounced late to land the Ire-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury.

The two-year-old was sent off at 16-1 in the Group Three affair under Charlie Bishop, despite a consistent campaign thus far this year.

A winner on debut, the daughter of Expert Eye was second to Relief Rally in a novice before coming home a solid fourth in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot.

She was well beaten in the Super Sprint but regained her form to finish second in the Alice Keppel at Goodwood and then fourth when beaten a little over  length in the Listed St Hugh’s Stakes when last seen.

Up in trip to six furlongs and back up in grade at Salisbury, the filly was ridden patiently to best utilise her speed and as the line approached she threw down her challenge to collar the front-running Dorothy Lawrence and prevail by a short head.

Johnson Houghton said: “I thought the step up to six (furlongs) would help, I thought the firm ground would help.

“She’s been running over five in soft ground and she deserved this, every time she ran at Newbury she never got any cover.

“We knew she had an amazing turn of foot, but it was just getting her to use it at the right time.

“We all made a plan, the owners and I, that we’d drop her in and if she didn’t get there on time then she didn’t get there on time.

“The last thing we wanted to do was get there too early and stop, she has a wicked turn of foot but it’s not a very long turn of foot.

“I’m thrilled. Look at the size  of her, she does herself really well and she’s on the grow again I think.

“She’ll be a lovely filly for next year and they’ve (the owners) got the stud, so it’s great for them. What a star. Good old Junie, we love her!”

Ralph Beckett’s Skellet got off the mark with a convincing success in the Bob Mccreery Memorial British EBF Quidhampton Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Under Rossa Ryan the Kingman bay was the 5-6 favourite after being beaten just a length when fourth on debut at Sandown in August.

In a field of nine she was this time a straightforward winner, by a length and a quarter ahead of Richard Hannon’s Serene Seraph.

“I was very pleased. She’s a bit raw, she’s a big, tall, gangly filly,” Beckett said.

“Her sister, Skitter Skatter, was the size of a pony and she won a Moyglare for Patrick Prendergast – this filly is completely different.

“She was a bit antsy behind the gates, she’s still looking around.”

On future plans the trainer added: “She’s a nice filly, one for next year. It’s likely we’ll take a more conservative view, I don’t know what trip she’ll end up getting, we hope a mile but we’ll find out next year.”

Frankness (13-2) was a fitting winner of the European Bloodstock News EBF ‘Lochsong’ Fillies’ Handicap for Oisin Murphy and Andrew Balding.

The race is named in honour of the great sprinter, a 15-time winner owned by Jeff Smith who dominated the sprint scene in the early nineties.

Frankess runs in the same silks and as Lochsong was trained by Balding’s father Ian, the victory particularly apt for the owner of both horses.

Aidan O’Brien’s Cambridge was victorious as the trainer sent his first runner to Salisbury for 18 years.

The Dubawi colt was contesting the one-mile Byerley Stud Novice Stakes under Ryan Moore and started as the 11-10 favourite at the Wiltshire track.

The run was the bay’s second, his debut being a third-placed effort in a Roscommon maiden last month.

This time he looked like the winner from two furlongs from home, before facing a late challenge from Richard Hannon’s Houstonn, who got at least level in the final strides but was passed again as a short head split them on the line.

Moore said of the success: “I’m happy with him, travelling over would have done him the world of good.

“Hopefully he’ll build on this and be a good horse next year.”

Cambridge was watched by Coolmore’s UK representative Kevin Buckley, who last witnessed a Ballydoyle horse run at Salisbury when Dylan Thomas was beaten in the 2005 Autumn Stakes.

He said: “I’m pleased with that and it’s nice to be here, Salisbury have looked after us really well. We thought he’d improve from his run in Roscommon, the stewards’ report said he dwelt at the start, but Seamie (Heffernan) then subsequently said the stall was slow to open.

“He ran very green, he was much more professional there, he put his head down and got it done. I know the winning margin wasn’t much, but it’s about winning and that’s what he did there.

“(It’s been) 18 years. It was the Autumn Stakes, Dylan Thomas was second with Johnny Murtagh on board and Jamie Spencer was third on Arabian Prince.

“He’s a nicely-bred horse, by a partner, Peter Brant, by Dubawi out of a Galileo mare. Half-brother to Maqsad, who won a Pretty Polly at Newmarket, beating Shambolic who is the dam of Ylang Ylang who is running for us in the Moyglare.

“We’ll get him home now and see what we think, he’s been over the extended seven at Roscommon, we knew he’d get that, his dam won over 12 furlongs and was Listed-placed twice in France.

“He’s got the Royal Lodge entry and that wouldn’t be beyond the realms (of possibility).”

Charlie Appleby sent out the winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury for a third successive year as Arabian Crown registered a decisive triumph.

Beaten less than a length by the exciting Starlore when sent off favourite at Sandown on debut, the son of Dubawi served notice of his potential with an easy victory back at the Esher track on his second start.

Upped both to Listed Level and a mile, the 85-40 second favourite highlighted his quality in fine style, tracking the pace set by Richard Hannon’s Son before coming forward to take the lead after two furlongs out and galloping on strongly for a two-and-a-quarter-length success over 13-8 favourite Arabic Legend.

Last year’s winner for the stable went on to contest the Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket later in the season, while both Paddy Power and Betfair shortened the colt to 20-1 from 33s for next year’s 2000 Guineas.

“It was a lovely performance,” winning rider William Buick told Racing TV.

“It was a nice, even gallop which suited him and suited everyone else, so it was a very fair race and Arabian Crown has gone from strength to strength.

“He is very professional and he has really learned from his last two runs. He had to stand in the gates for quite a long time with some of the others, but he took that well and still broke well and just settled outside of the leader. He dropped his head and was progressive all the way to the line and was strong at the finish.

“I think this is a nice trip for him now as a two-year-old and I’m sure next year he will go further. You would hope that (with) the progress he had made in two runs in novices, he has every reason to improve again.”

Ralph Beckett was on the scoresheet in the other Listed heat as State Occasion ran out an impressive winner of the British EBF 40th Anniversary Upavon Fillies’ Stakes.

The daughter of Iffraaj, who was sent off a 6-1 chance, hit the front a furlong from home in the hands of Rossa Ryan and was not for catching in the closing stages as 6-4 favourite Running Lion gave chase in vain.

Beckett said. “She kept winning valuable fillies’ handicaps last year and then we went to Dundalk and she got drawn wide and missed the break. You run quickly into the bend there over 10 furlongs, so that didn’t work and then I probably ran her one run too many at the back-end.

“She ran well in the Middleton and then she was off colour for a little while after that.

“Then it has just rained and she wants fast ground, it is as simple as that. She hasn’t had any major issues, it has just been wet. We’ve probably only missed one race which was the Lyric at York but it doesn’t matter now.

“She could go anywhere and I haven’t really thought about it long and hard yet. But luckily there is plenty for her and she will be in everything and we will see how it pans out.”

Regal Reality will try for a second win in the Tattersalls Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury, three years after his first success in the race.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the eight-year-old showed he was as good as ever when winning the Diomed Stakes at Epsom on Derby day under Ryan Moore.

Richard Kingscote takes over in the saddle on this occasion, just as he did three years ago, but Regal Reality must shoulder a 3lb penalty for his Epsom success.

The consistent Chichester has his first outing for Charlie Johnston.

With Stoute in his early days, he joined Dalgleish for 30,000 guineas in October 2020 and won on his first start for new connections the following April.

Just touched off at Newcastle on All-Weather Finals Day, his last outing for Dalgleish saw him win a Listed race at York.

Kevin Stott takes the rides and said: “He’s very straightforward, easy to ride and always tries his heart out. I personally think he is good enough to win a Group race and the mile at Salisbury looks ideal.”

Mighty Ulysses represents John and Thady Gosden, who claimed the prize two years ago with Megallan.

A Listed winner last year, Mighty Ulysses was off for almost a year after finishing down the field as the beaten favourite in the Strensall Stakes at York last August.

He made his comeback recently in the Summer Mile at Ascot, where he was fifth to Master Of The Seas.

Owner Saeed Suhail’s racing manager Bruce Raymond said: “I suppose having been off for so long his comeback at Ascot was satisfactory.

“We’ve always thought he’s quite a nice horse and I know John is heading there.

“He’s got cheekpieces on for the first time, so John must think that is something that he needs, but I’m expecting him to improve a good bit from Ascot given that was his first run for so long.”

Roger Varian’s Embesto, who lost his unbeaten record behind Stoute’s Nostrum at Newmarket, Charlie Hills’ Pogo and Roger Teal’s Dancing Magic complete the field.

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