Seattle Drive speeds off to clear victory

Half of the eight races were for juveniles and the pick of those looked to be the European Breeders' Fund Maiden Stakes, where a good-looking field of choicely-bred colts faced the starter.

Seattle Drive, who is closely related to Snoqualmie Boy and Girl as well as Seattle Rhyme, was a 33-1 shot and carried owner Jeff Smith's second colours.

But, while stablemate Odin laboured, Dane O'Neill's mount showed a great deal of professionalism to take two lengths out of them inside the final furlong. Of those in behind, Fulgur showed most promise in second.

"I knew he would finish," said Elsworth. "I'd hoped either him or Odin would run well, but you never know if a two-year-old first time out will put it together.

"He is not in anything fancy, so we'll just see how he comes out of this. You always try to unveil a potential stable star or a useful horse at this time of year. He could be all right - we'll see."

It was a mixed day for Kieren Fallon, who started off in the right fashion as Sir Michael Stoute's 7-4 favourite Havant pulled five lengths clear in division two of the EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes.

The daughter of Halling should be suited by further and Anita Wigan, owner and breeder, said: "Sir Michael did like her, and any plans from now on will be up to him."

Later on Fallon received five days' worth of bans (10 & 12-15 September) for his part in the Breheny Nursery.

Riding 4-5 favourite Piceno, who was carrying a penalty for an easy victory at Salisbury last week, Fallon found himself locked in a long battle with Askaud, prevailing by a neck in the end.

Piceno intimidated Askaud into drifting across the track but Fallon had his whip in the correct hand and survived a lengthy inquiry.

"It is strange for his pedigree but the further they went, the better he was going," remarked trainer Luca Cumani.

Fallon shook off any disappointment to continue his remarkable recent form on Frequency (7-2) in the NGK Spark Plugs Claiming Stakes.

Stoute opted for lightweight jockey Jimmy Quinn to partner Maxim Gorky (11-4) in the J20 White Blend Handicap.

The lightly-raced three-year-old was getting 7lb from his elders and made it count. Owen Burrows, Stoute's representative, said: "We have had to be patient with him but he enjoyed going up in trip. He has to have soft ground, but Jimmy felt he'd make a nice staying handicapper next year."

Jeremy Noseda has needed even more patience with Call To Reason, who had made her debut 300 days ago but had been on the sidelines until taking the Newmarketracecourses.co.uk Maiden Stakes fairly easily as the 4-6 favourite.

"She was cast in her box in April and chipped a bone in her hock, so we removed that," explained Noseda. "She has always shown a decent level of ability and there should be opportunities in the autumn, but we'll just take the next step up and see how we go."

The weaker-looking division one of the maiden was reduced further when 4-7 favourite Quiet Oasis spread a plate and was withdrawn, causing a deduction of 60p in the pound for all bets.

This revealed an opportunity for Lucy Limelites (10-1) to break her duck in game style.

Trainer Roger Charlton said: "That's a nice start. Steve Drowne said she would prefer better ground. There are no big plans, as it's quite hard to assess the race."

R Woody (16-1) was an easy winner of the TurfTV Handicap for Dean Ivory and Alan Munro.

Main Aim ticks all of the right boxes in the totesport.com Celebration Mile at Goodwood today.

Sir Michael Stoute's five-year-old is the highest-rated animal in the four-runner line-up and is crucially proven on a rain-softened surface. The Khalid Abdullah-owned entire has, after all, twice won in a bog at Newbury and Doncaster - in addition to this season's Group Three success in the John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock, where the ground was typically exacting.

Last season's second in the July Cup was a cracking effort, for instance, while his close-up fourth behind Paco Boy in the Queen Anne of that year requires little hyperbole.

That Royal Ascot run is important ahead of the Celebration as it was hitherto his first try over a mile before arriving back at Goodwood.

Perhaps the most telling statistic, however, is Stoute's record in the race. The maestro of Freemason Lodge has won the race a jaw-dropping seven times in the last 13 years.

He would simply not have declared Main Aim were he not expecting to galvanise that achingly-good statistic.

Today's nap, however, should provide slightly better value. Andrew Balding's Tartan Trip has a record of second, first, second in its last three outings and can continue the pattern in the 2.15 at Newmarket.

Tropical Paradise secured a landmark first success in Pattern company at Glorious Goodwood last month and she is taken to follow up back at the Sussex track tomorrow.

Elsewhere, Dortmund looks more than capable of landing the EBF Old Crossleyans Rugby Union Football Club Maiden Stakes at Beverley.

A half-brother to Britannia Stakes winner Ransom Note, he has yet to strike gold in four racecourse outings for Mahmood Al Zarooni.

He was not beaten far when second on his first two starts, while his disappointing fifth at Newcastle the next time can be written off as something was evidently amiss. Dropped into a hot heat at Newmarket, Dortmund ran with great credit to be fourth and he should find the competition here much more to his liking.