Stone Soldier looks a serious warrior as Archie Watson yard continues to fire

Archie Watson was forced to put his runners on hold last month after a health scare in the yard, but his team has returned in fine fettle underlined by Stone Soldier's success in the feature 7f handicap.

The Lambourn trainer discovered the presence of antibodies for an equine virus after testing one of his horses and did not send out any runners for two weeks.

However, the stable is firing on all cylinders now and Stone Soldier dominated the £19,000 contest with a five-length victory.

Luke Morris, who registered his 50th win of the all-weather season, said: "He'd had a short break and had been gelded and Archie has done a marvellous job since getting him. He looks a progressive horse."

The Cool Silk Partnership-owned Stone Soldier, who moved yards after James Given retired from training and took up a role at the BHA, extended his all-weather record to five wins in eight starts and will try to transfer his form to turf, where he has some lofty targets.

"I think Archie was planning on a crack at the Victoria Cup and then on to something like the Buckingham Palace," added Morris. "They're a long way away, but his turf mark is lower than his all-weather mark, so hopefully there's a little bit more up his sleeve."

Excellent start

Mr Excellency maintained his unbeaten record when winning the mile novice contest in the manner of a promising sort.

The three-year-old, trained by Mark Johnston, scored on his debut here in October and followed up with a two-and-a-quarter-length success under Ben Curtis.

Results, replays and analysis

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