Seventh heaven in Huxley for Moore and Stoute as Solid Stone scores impressively

Friday: Chester

Ryan Moore, who operated in a different stratosphere at Chester this week, added to his record haul in the track's highest-grade race with a seventh success in the Group 2 Huxley Stakes on Solid Stone.

Moore made the art of riding on the Roodee look so easy again when recording a decisive victory on the Sir Michael Stoute-trained six-year-old, who capitalised on 5-6 favourite Megallan's below-par display.

Solid Stone finished last season with a pair of Group 3 wins, but failed to land a blow in Saudi Arabia on his last start in February.

Up against just three rivals in the £138,500 contest, he bounced back to form to also provide Stoute, who won the Huxley three years in a row with Maraahel, with his seventh win in the race.

"He's a hard horse to gauge because as he gets older he looks after himself, but he moved beautifully today," said Moore. "We went very hard and he races a bit lazily, but he stays well and is honest.

"Maybe the favourite didn't run his race, but this horse is very consistent and it's the third time he's won a Group race. He disappointed in Saudi, but he's back on track."

Bruce Raymond, racing manager for winning owner Saeed Suhail, added: "It was too firm for him in Saudi and he was stuck on the outside and didn't go at all. He's done well to come back so quickly from that run. He's a pretty good horse and the way he won there, he's probably better than he's ever been."

Moore can reflect on a job well done over the three-day May meeting as not only did he ride a total of eight winners, but he dominated the feature races.

He won the Cheshire Oaks on Thoughts Of June, Chester Vase on Changingoftheguard, Dee Stakes on Star Of India and Chester Cup aboard Cleveland during a fine week.

Flaming proves too hot

Flaming Rib relished the drop back to 5f in the conditions race to give trainer Hugo Palmer a welcome headache for the top sprint races.

Part-owned by Palmer's new boss Michael Owen, Flaming Rib was tried over 7f in the Greenham but finished last of six, a performance that confirmed the trainer's suspicions shorter trips were more suitable.

Flaming Rib leads home the field in the 5f conditions stakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Ribchester colt holds a Commonwealth Cup entry, for which he was cut to 20-1 (from 33) by Paddy Power, and adds to the wealth of three-year-old sprinting talent at Manor House, which also includes the likes of Ebro River and Hierarchy.

"When I started Michael had a fantasy he might be a Guineas horse and we thought the Greenham might be a chance, but he showed there he was a sprinter," said Palmer.

"We're well stocked with three-year-old sprinters and we'll try to keep them apart until it's a Group 1. He's in the Prix Texanita [on May 16] alongside Ebro River, but it might come quite too quickly."

Brilliant Barrons

If there is one team that is in better form than Liverpool at present it is David and Nic Barron, who landed their fourth winner in a row when Baryshnikov took the £41,000 1m2f handicap.

The father-and-daughter partnership had already won decent handicaps with Contact and Zarzyni this season and made it seven winners from just 27 runners since officially becoming joint-trainers.

Baryshnikov's recent Pontefract victim Pride Of America had advertised the value of that form when bounding home impressively from the front here on Thursday, and he also had to overcome trouble in running to score by just a length under Connor Beasley.

"I was delighted to see Pride Of America win as that boosted the form and he did it nicely at Pontefract," the jockey said. "You need all the luck in the world to get the split on a horse like him.

"I had to ride for luck, but I had the horse underneath me and when the gap came and he delivered nicely. He takes everything in his stride and has plenty of ability."

Replays, results and analysis

Read more from Chester's May festival:

Red-hot Moore and O'Brien conjure Chester Cup win out of 'classy' Cleveland

Aidan O'Brien unleashes another Classic contender as Star Of India strikes

Hardwicke could be next for Hamish after rewarding Haggas team in Ormonde Stakes

8-1 from 50: Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore unearth another big Derby chance

'We're likely to head to Epsom' - classy Thoughts Of June enters Oaks picture

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