Aegean Prince lands rearranged St Simon Stakes as Kieran Shoemark completes Newmarket treble

Aegean Prince continued his rapid rise through the ranks with a smooth success in the rearranged St Simon Stakes at Newmarket on Friday. Sent off the 10/11 favourite for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin, the four-year-old saw out the mile-and-a-half trip strongly to beat Royal Playwright by two lengths in the Group 3 contest.

The race was due to be run at Newbury last Saturday, only for waterlogging to wipe out the whole card, and it found a new home on the Rowley Mile on good to soft ground. Old Harrovian was taken out because of the ground, leaving six to go to post, and the first two pulled four-and-a-half lengths clear of Karl Burke’s Al Qareem, the 7/2 second favourite, in third.

It capped a fine afternoon for Kieran Shoemark, who completed a treble on the card. He had already made all on Solo Quest in the first division of the juvenile novice at 12.05pm, while 35 minutes before the St Simon, he won the Listed Bosra Sham Fillies’ Stakes on Siena Storm, both for Ed Walker.

Aegean Prince keeps on improving for Godolphin

The son of Dubawi has gone from strength to strength this year. He won the Old Borough Cup over a mile-and-six-furlongs at Haydock in September, so his stamina was never in doubt.

This was his first try in Pattern company, but he took the step up in his stride and has now won four of his five starts. His only defeat came on his debut at Chelmsford as a juvenile, and the gelding looks a smart middle-distance prospect for next season.

Royal Playwright keeps Balding chasing O’Brien

Andrew Balding will have to settle for second, though Royal Playwright still earned valuable prize-money under Jason Watson at 6/1. That could be important for the Kingsclere trainer, who is trying to close the gap on Aidan O’Brien in the trainers’ championship.

O’Brien was just shy of £200,000 clear of Balding after Giant Sequoia won the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster last weekend, so every pound counts in the final weeks of the British season. Royal Playwright has now finished runner-up in successive Group 3s, having been beaten a neck in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot earlier this month.

Siena Storm bolts up by six lengths in the Bosra Sham

Shoemark’s day had already been made by an emphatic success on Siena Storm in the 1.45pm. The 11/8 favourite was dropped in towards the rear, made headway travelling best from three furlongs out and took over a furlong from home. She drifted right once in front, but it hardly mattered as she stormed six lengths clear of Kevin Philippart De Foy’s Nicely, with 50/1 shot What A Girl Wants another length-and-three-quarters back in third.

Dropping to six furlongs for the first time looked to suit the daughter of Night Of Thunder. She had been keen in both of her Group 3 runs over seven furlongs, finishing fourth after meeting trouble in the Prestige Stakes at Goodwood and fifth in the Oh So Sharp Stakes here, when Shoemark reported that she ran too free. This was her second win from five starts, and she ran out a ready winner.

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