Mick Channon took the honours at Thirsk as well as Newbury on Saturday when his Sagitta 2000 Guineas entry Aramram won the £23,000 Stanley Racing Classic Trial in gutsy fashion at the North Yorkshire track.
Just 20 minutes after Channon's Queen's Logic had confirmed her position at the head of the Sagitta 1000 Guineas market with an emphatic success at Newbury, Aramram put himself in the frame as a lively outsider for the colts' Classic by collecting Thirsk's only Listed race of the calendar.
After just getting the better of a thrilling head-to-head fight with second favourite Sohaib from the three-furlong pole, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's charge then had to survive a fairly lengthy stewards' inquiry.
However, Aramram, the well-backed 5-4 favourite, only caused a minimal amount of interference to Richard Hills' mount when edging slightly left under a strong drive from Chris Catlin inside the final furlong of the one-mile contest.
''I've spoken to the boss and subject to the owner's consent the plan is now to go for the Guineas,'' explained Channon's representative Andy Larkin.
''I know Barry Hills thought a lot about their runner (Sohaib), so this could be a decent effort, Chris Catlin did nothing wrong and this was an ideal trial for the horse.''
Jim Goldie was all smiles after his speedy eight-year-old Indian Spark had romped away with the £10,000 Michael Foster Memorial Stakes.
''There's not many handicaps left for him now so the plan is to go for the Group Three Palace House Stakes at Newmarket next,'' remarked Goldie.
Rae Guest has his biggest string of 50 horses for the current campaign and his improving sprinter Boanerges made it two out of two for the season by blitzing his rivals in the five-furlong Thomas Lord Handicap.
''Boanerges is making hay while the sun shines, he loves firm ground and is taking advantage of this dry spell while many of his opponents are looking for a bit of cut,'' said the Newmarket handler.
Jockey John Carroll had an armchair ride aboard Dune, the runaway winner of the mile-and-a-half Discover Racing Classified Stakes.
Carroll only had to let out an inch of rein on the rangy son of Desert Style approaching the two-furlong pole and he fairly sprinted clear of the eventual runner-up Two Marks.
''We've had a few seconds lately so this will make everybody in the yard feel better,'' said winning trainer Roger Charlton's representative, Lucy Scobie.
''As for future plans we'll have to see what the guv'nor says, but he stood out in the paddock beforehand and this will have boosted his confidence no end.''
Carroll completed a near 28-1 double by booting home the clear-cut 10-1 winner More Sirens in the one mile Levy Board Fillies' Handicap.
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