Promising Lead

Promising Lead made a highly-encouraging start to the campaign when landing the odds in smooth fashion in the totepoolscoop6 Special Middleton Stakes at York.

It was a first Group success for the filly, who could well end the season bidding to compensate for her narrow defeat in the Prix de l'Opera at Longchamp last October. The 2-5 shot sailed past Under The Rainbow with the minimum of fuss in the hands of Ryan Moore to win by three and three-quarter lengths.

"We'll have a look at all the mile-and-a-quarter races open to her and she may stay a mile and a half," said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Khalid Abdullah.

"We'll look at a combination of them. It's nice that she's got this Group win. She was only beaten a nose in the Prix de l'Opera last year. It was agonisingly close and we'll try to put that right. She's done it nicely."

After the wins of Promising Lead and Tartan Bearer, Stoute and Moore were denied a hat-trick when Lang Shining was beaten by Mia's Boy in the Bank Of Scotland Corporate Hambleton Stakes.

The writing looked on the wall when the 8-11 favourite kicked on but Jimmy Quinn brought Chris Dwyer's 15-2 chance with a powerful run on the outside to win by three-quarters of a length.

"That's the best way to ride him - to settle him in. He's got a lovely turn of foot," said Dwyer, who has a string of only five horses at Newmarket.

"One of Michael Stoute's young apprentices rode him a couple of times a bit like that. He's won four weak races but he's improved as he's gone along. I was slightly concerned about the ground but they've done a marvellous job here with watering.

"Maybe I'll have to enter him for Royal Ascot for the Hunt Cup. I was going to give him June off and wait for the easier ground at the back-end of the season but I might make an entry now."