Easterby strengthens Royal Ascot hand as Lampang finally delivers on promise

Lampang had been disappointing since winning his first two starts as a juvenile but the sprinter returned to the winner's enclosure with a surprise victory in the feature 6f handicap.

The King Power Racing-owned four-year-old broke well and raced prominently alongside Call Me Ginger in the group towards the centre of the track. The 16-1 shot responded dourly to pressure to fend off Rathbone by a neck in the £30,000 contest.

The time of the race suggested it was a solid performance as it was quicker than the three preceding novice races over the same course and distance.

Winning jockey Jason Hart told RacingTV: "He showed a very good attitude, I think he's a horse who would actually stay another furlong and that track with the stiff finish has suited him and helped him gut it out."

Lampang boasts a Wokingham Stakes entry, for which he ranges from 25-1 to 50-1, and his trainer Tim Easterby could saddle recent Chester winner Boardman in the same race, while he has Art Power and Winter Power in the Group 1 sprints at Royal Ascot.

Poets finishes best

Gulf Of Poets landed some substantial pre-race bets when getting up close home to win the 1m1f handicap.

Winner of the race off 17lb lower in 2017, the nine-year-old was as big as 11-1 on Wednesday evening, but scored under Ben Curtis having been backed into 3-1 joint-favouritism.

Bhatti blitzes rivals

Dulla Bhatti took a significant step forward after beating just one horse home at Doncaster last month with an impressive two and a half-length victory in the second division of the 6f novice.

Results, replays and analysis

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