Plenty of Classic contenders were in action overnight with a couple of key lead up races in the UK producing some interesting winners with a major upset in the Group III Greenham Stakes.
The Group III Greenham Stakes (7f) at Newbury marked the return of outstanding Frankel colt Chaldean, but he took no part in the race after losing his rider Frankie Dettori in a mishap at the start with the race being won by the Brian Meehan trained Night of Thunder colt Isaac Shelby in the Sangster family colours.
A Group II winner last season, Isaac Shelby was having his first run of the year and scored by three lengths with the French 2000 Guineas mentioned as his next target race.
Purchased for 92,000 pounds by Sam Sangster Bloodstock from the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale, Isaac Shelby is the best of two winners from Kentucky Belle, an unraced half-sister to Group II winner Ramazutti.
He is one of only five stakes-winners with a double cross of champion sire Galileo (3 x 3), something that is likely to become a lot more prevalent in years to come.
The Group III Fred Darling Stakes (7f) produced a new stakes-winner for Kingman with Remarquee scoring by a neck at her second start following a debut win last year.
Her trainer Ralph Beckett confirmed she heads next to the Newmarket 1000 Guineas.
Retained to race by her breeder Julian Richmond-Watson, Remarquee is the best of two winners from stakes-winning Champs Elysees mare Regardez, a half-sister to Group I winner Scope from the family of Group I Epsom Oaks winner Look Here.
She is the 56th stakes-winner for Kingman, who had an interesting winner in Australia on Saturday with the Godolphin bred and raced filly Zardozi going three for three with a win in the $150,000 Clarendon at Hawkesbury.
