'I liked the way he did it, it was impressive' - Besieged earns plaudits from Harry Charlton after emphatic win

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Besieged showcased his talent with a dominant 14-length victory in the 1m2f maiden, going one better than his runner-up efforts on his first two starts.

Trained by Harry Charlton, the three-year-old colt boasts a smart pedigree, being by Dubawi out of the Frankel mare Snow Lantern, and he was sold for 525,000gns as a yearling.

The 4-9 favourite, ridden by Lewis Edmunds, was given a target to follow in Poor Relation before kicking clear a furlong out and breezing to a comfortable success.

Charlton told Racing TV: “A lot of the better horses went elsewhere at the declaration stage but there was the unraced Juddmonte one [Centrum] left in. Other than that we can’t deny it was a weak race, but I liked the way he did it, it was impressive.

“It was nice a horse went forward as it set him a target. He’s very competitive at home, he wants it and that’s a Dubawi trait.”

The trainer revealed his next targets may have to wait until more suitable slower conditions come around again. He said: “I’m glad I’ve been able to get three runs into him by June, which at least gives us that if it’s tough to get him out again in the next couple of months, and then we can go again in the autumn.”

Pirate steals

Flying Pirate (orange) beats Harry KnowsCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Eve Johnson Houghton enjoyed success in this race 12 months ago when Group 1 winner Zavateri landed the 6f novice stakes on his debut. Johnson Houghton tried to repeat the feat with Foscarini, who sported the same colours, but he could only manage fifth in division one, won by the Ralph Beckett-trained Undiscovered.

However, the trainer had better luck in division two when Flying Pirate made a winning debut after finishing fast to collar the favourite Harry Knows late on.

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