Massaat dazzles in soft ground Hungerford comeback to delight Owen Burrows at Newbury
It wasn't just Massaat impressing at Newbury, as Roger Varian's Defoe shortened up significantly in the market for the final English classic of the season, the St Leger, when beating his elders in impressive fashion earlier in the afternoon.
MASSAAT defied a 373-day absence to win the Betfred Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.
Trainer Owen Burrows had warned in the build-up to the seven-furlong Group Two that last season's 2000 Guineas runner-up would be "rusty".
But the four-year-old son of Teofilo dazzled upon his return to the fray and ended up winning by a length and three-quarters from Librisa Breeze.
Nathra was third, another half a length in arrears.
Jockey Jim Crowley said: "It was a great training performance to bring him back.
"He loved that slower ground, it's quite important to him.
"He was a little bit fresh and free early on but he saw the race out well."
Trainer Dean Ivory said of the runner-up: "He was squeezed for room and he lost a couple of lengths when we had to switch him.
"His neck turned to come straight again and the winner has got first run on us.
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"The horse deserves to win and we will get there, I hope.
"You have just got to ride him for a bit of luck but that didn't come our way."
Earlier in the afternoon, Defoe enhanced his prospects for the William Hill St Leger with a clear-cut victory in the Betfred Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury.
The Roger Varian-trained colt dispensed with older horses in some style as he took his 100 per cent record this season to four.
To Eternity made the running well into the straight, while Andrea Atzeni had Defoe switched off in last place until asking him to take closer order.
The 13-8 favourite made eyecatching progress to go on after Frontiersman had briefly led two furlongs out.
Wall Of Fire tried to challenge on the inside of Defoe but the gap closed and Hugo Palmer's four-year-old had to switch and was three-quarters of a length down at the line.
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The first two pulled three and a half lengths clear of Frontiersman in third place.
The stewards allowed the result to stand following an inquiry into the incident.
Atzeni said: "He's a gem of a horse. He's very laid-back and you wouldn't think he'd had a race.
"The horse is getting better and he could be anything. At least we know that he stays.
"The Leger will be a very good race, but this fellow will go there with a big chance.
"He will also be a nice four-year-old."