Clive Cox remains Positive and eyes Guineas after narrow Solario win

Positive was made to fight every inch of the way to land odds of 4-5 from the once-raced 14-1 chance Kameko in the Group 3 Betway Solario Stakes, but he is still learning his trade and connections were not in the least deflated by the winning margin of just a nose.

They retain high hopes the colt will follow in the footsteps of such recent winners as Kingman and Too Darn Hot by achieving top-level honours, and he will be trained with the Qipco 2,000 Guineas in mind, with one more run this year. He is a 33-1 chance with Betfair and Paddy Power, but just 16-1 in places.

The Clive Cox-trained winner was paying yet another compliment to the 2,000 Guineas favourite Pinatubo, who beat him five lengths in Goodwood's Qatar Vintage Stakes, when Friday's Group 3 winner Lope Y Fernandez was third, and subsequent smar tRipon winner Platinum Star fifth.

Watch Positive land the Solario Stakes

There are grounds for thinking he is a little better than the bare form, which he will need to be if he is to reverse placings at some stage.

Jockey Adam Kirby said: "He's progressing. His mind is second to none and you can put him where you want, which makes life very much easier.

"He's a lovely horse. He was a lot more streetwise today than at Goodwood and he's showing all the right signs. I'm pleased he won it the way he did."

Owner Alan Spence, who credited jump jockey Jerry McGrath with good work he had done on Positive, felt that Pinatubo got first run to an extent at Goodwood and argued that this was Positive's first real race.

He said: "He's learned a lot today. His first race he won very easily, and his second race he was out the back and when he came through the winner [Pinatubo] had flown and it was all over. Today is really the first time he's had a race, and that will do him a lot of good.

Clive Cox: 'He's well entered everywhere and we'll just see how he comes out of this'Credit: Getty Images

"You would hope to win another race at two and then we'll look at the Guineas. We've got to look at the Guineas."

Positive has long been the apple of Cox's eye and the trainer has ensured that all bases are covered for the rest of the season, with entries already made for him far and wide.

He said: "They've gone a nice gallop and it was a good time. With more time we are going to see more progress. He's still a very nice, improving horse and I couldn't be more pleased with the result.

"He's well entered everywhere and we'll just see how he comes out of this. He's in over seven furlongs in the Dewhurst and over a mile in the Royal Lodge. He's also in the Champagne Stakes and the Lagardere."

Spence narrowed the possibilities down to two when he said: "The original objective was the Dewhurst but there's also the Royal Lodge. He won't go overseas."

Oisin Murphy was pleased with the Andrew Balding-trained runner-up Kameko, a course-and-distance winner on his debut in July and a son of Kitten's Joy, like owner Qatar Racing's late lamented champion of 2018 Roaring Lion.

Murphy said: "It was a good run and he wants to go further. I was very happy with him."

Get exclusive insight from the track and live tipping with Raceday Live - our up-to-the-minute service on racingpost.com and the Racing Post mobile app