Enigmatic Ajman Prince overcomes preliminaries to win well

A character. That's how you would describe Ajman Price – at least when he comes racing – as he was bucking and kicking in the paddock prior to the 1m4½f handicap.

It was a different story in the race however, as the three-year-old travelled sweetly and found plenty for Joe Doyle to beat the well-backed Dubawi Fifty by a length and three-quarters to gain his second successive victory.

He runs in the colours of John Wright and is trained by Alistair Whillans whose son Ewan said: "He seems to get a bit worked up when he comes racing. At home he's fine, he wouldn't bite or kick and he's pretty good when he's being ridden out. When we started him he wouldn't go into the stalls and then he failed a stalls test so it's been quite a challenge.

"He done well today as he went up a fair bit for his last run, and Rowan Scott who claims 5lb couldn't ride him as he has gone to Dubai. There is a race for him at Wolverhampton, but we'll probably keep coming back here."

An honourable third in the race was The Resdev Way, who had won three times and finished second on his four runs on the course this year, and as a result has gone up 26lb in the ratings.

His trainer Richard Whitaker said: "Weight stops trains, but he's run well as he came there with every chance. He's a big horse with his future ahead of him so we will probably leave him until next year."

It wasn't the best of days for the trainer for in the previous race his Precision Strike fractured a hind leg and had to be put down.

Stradivarius stars

The most interesting race of the day was the mile maiden for juveniles which featured several lightly-raced and well-bred colts. In moderately-run affair it produced a cracking finish with the well-backed even money shot Stradivarius getting back up to beat the newcomers Bowerman and Mutarabby by a head and a short head.

The winner, who is a son of Sea The Stars, is trained by John Gosden and was ridden by Rob Havlin who said: "Although he has had two runs he only started racing when the other horse went past him. He'll stay a mile and a quarter."

The three-year-old Stamford Raffles has thrived in recent weeks and made it two wins and a second from his last three runs when landing the 2m½f handicap. In a moderately-run affair he battled on well to beat Aldreth by a head.

He is owned and trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam and was the 19th winner in his best season for Charlie Bennett who said: "He is a late-maturing horse who has done well since Jane has had him."

Thought for the day
The rain is falling in the wrong place. The dry spell in the south is causing havoc with jump racing with small fields and so many horses waiting for the ground to ease before they can run. Following torrential rain over the weekend here the paddock here had standing water in places.