With star sprinter Red Clubs nearing his time in the breeding sheds, Barry Hills unearthed a possible replacement as Dark Angel put in a game effort to land the Shadwell Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Red Clubs has bounced from one top sprint to another this season and Hills is eyeing similar contests for his winner after he struck in Group One company.

Not content with a victory in the Mill Reef Stakes a little under two weeks ago, Hills directed the grey son of Acclamation towards the Rowley Mile and the 8-1 chance was well in command before halfway under the trainer's son, Michael.

He edged right just outside the last of the six furlongs and was challenged by Mill Reef runner-up Strike The Deal, but managed to confirm the placings and score by half a length.

Hills' Tajdeef was a neck back in third but the 2-1 favourite and Gimcrack winner Sir Gerry was a huge disappointment and beat just one home.

The veteran trainer said: ''He's tough isn't he? I had three grand on him in the July Stakes when he was fourth at a big price and he has gone on to win two Group races!

''He is a good horse, has a high cruising speed and has improved all season.

''I don't know if he will run again this season but if he does it will be in the Dewhurst.

''Next year I think he will be a sprinter as I can't see him getting a mile, but who knows.''

Tajdeef's effort had somewhat baffled Hills, and he added: ''I think he will be packed up for the year, but I thought he would have run better than that.

''The experience will have done him good and he will come on for the race.''

The Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned colt was last seen finishing fourth in the Champagne Stakes, and Hills said: ''A lot of mine didn't run up to form at Doncaster as a lot of the horses did not go on the ground.

''There is no bottom to it as it is new but it will be all right in time.''

Hills junior added of the winner: ''We went quickly. This fellow has got a high cruising speed and I wasn't going to mess around.

''He could possibly get a mile but he's got a lot of speed and he's not an easy horse to hold up. You could see how I rode him then, he loves to gallop.''

Hills was handed a two-day suspension (October 16 and 17) for careless riding inside the distance.

Strike The Deal's trainer, Jeremy Noseda, said: ''It was a good performance and I could not ask for more. I didn't think he'd win but I thought he would be in the first three.

''There are one or two options now, but he is also in the sales and I'll talk to the owners to see what they think.''

Sir Gerry failed to quicken as he did at York and his trainer James Fanshawe said: ''He had gone a bit hairy in his coat and he also likes a bit of juice in the ground.''

Valdir de Souza finished seventh aboard Irish raider Rock Of Rochelle and his misery of finishing down the field was compounded by a three-day ban (October 16-18) for using his whip with excessive frequency and when out of contention.

River Proud, whose reputation took a knock in the Champagne Stakes, confirmed himself as a 2000 Guineas candidate with a game success in the Somerville Tattersall Stakes.

Paul Cole's handsome colt was never going in the Doncaster race after getting upset in the stalls and banging his head.

But he travelled well at Headquarters and picked up impressively for Richard Quinn before resisting chief rival Iguazu Falls to land odds of 11-4 by a neck.

The son of Proud Citizen, who is closely related to dual Breeders' Cup Mile winner Da Hoss, was cut to 33-1 from 50s by Guineas sponsors Stan James and is the same price with VC Bet.

Cole said: ''River Proud is a big horse who'll be better next year and already wants a mile.

"The important thing about today is that he's got his reputation back."