Arundel trainer John Dunlop struck gold at Goodwood yesterday when Pat Eddery led Invincible Spirit to victory in the M-real Conditions Stakes.
The in-form combination of Dunlop and Eddery now heads for Royal Ascot's Cork and Orrery Stakes in buoyant mood after taking the honours from an unlucky looking Kier Park.
Invincible Spirit was produced on the outside by Eddery to hit the front around the furlong marker, avoiding the congestion that confronted Kier Park, who was about to be asked for his effort when he was sandwiched between the fading Iftitah and Tamarisk.
Having been switched by Philip Robinson, Kier Park ran on strongly to reduce the deficit on the admittedly eased-down Invincible Spirit to half a length.
"Judging by the way the horse finished he looked unlucky. If he had got the split up the rail he would have won it easy," suggested bloodstock agent Charlie Gordon-Watson, who was representing Kier Park's owner, Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Kier Park is likely to run next at Royal Ascot, where he has a choice of the King's Stand Stakes and the Cork and Orrery.
The latter contest is definitely the next stop for Invincible Spirit and Dunlop said: "He was a very good horse as a two-year-old and then last spring he suffered a nasty pelvic injury. But he's over that now and he's a very nice horse.
"He ran well in the two outings we were able to give him last backend, but though we did try him over seven furlongs then he is definitely better at six."
Wannabe Around paid an immediate compliment to Derby hope Asian Heights when running away with the big handicap at Goodwood.
Thirty-five minutes after Asian Heights burst into the Derby reckoning with his win in the Compass UK Leisure Predominate Stakes, Wannabe Around, who had finished second to Geoff Wragg's colt at Lingfield last autumn, landed a gamble in the Tote Trifecta Stakes.
Terry Mills's three-year-old was cut from 11-1 to 6-1 in the wake of a welter of off-course support, and his backers had hardly an anxious moment.
Wannabe Around was soon in front under Richard Quinn, and quickened away from his pursuers inside the final quarter mile, scoring by a comfortable three lengths from the top weight, Bourgainville.
"Look at his form," said Mills, who was to complete a 90-1 double with Fly With Me in the finale.
"The horse that's won the Predominate, Asian Heights, has got to be a leading fancy for the Derby and he's just nicked the race off us at Lingfield in soft ground last year. This is a good sort of a horse."
Mills trains less than a mile from the Derby start at Epsom, and he jovially suggested he ought to shell out £75,000 to supplement Wannabe Around for the Classic.
"I'd love to have another horse good enough to run in it. We had All The Way a couple of years ago and he ran very well. And this horse would run his heart out," he added without actually committing himself to the cause.
"You've got to dream, haven't you?"
Brilliant Red popped up at 20-1 in the Newton Investment Management Stakes, rallying under apprentice Sussex jockey Ian Mongan to thwart the tail-swishing favourite Calcutta by half a length.
Brilliant Red was wearing a visor for the first time and Sussex-based trainer Lydia Richards said: "He's an eight-year-old now and although we felt he wasn't going doggy, he probably wasn't giving it 110 per cent. He worked very sweetly in a visor on Saturday and he was very sensible."
Fly With Me nearly threw away the goodwood.co.uk Handicap when hanging violently to his left in the last furlong, but he was corrected by Richard Quinn and the 12-1 chance saw off Irish Distinction by a length.
"A great day," said Mills. "It just would have been nice to do this tomorrow as we sponsor the first race, but I'll take it now."
Firebreak could be another bound for Royal Ascot after making a winning debut - and completing a 17-1 double for Asian Heights' partner Kieren Fallon - in the Anne Frances Stevens Memorial Stakes.
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