Royal Ascot calling? Persian Force bolts up in Brocklesby for Ryan and Hannon

Saturday: Doncaster

What a start. If only every race between now and the end of the turf season works out as well as the first, we'll all be in the money.

It was all about cash in the SBK Brocklesby Conditions Stakes, the traditional start to the campaign on grass and also the first two-year-old race of the season in Britain.

Persian Force was the most expensive yearling in the field, having been bought for €225,000 at Goffs in September and he was also the best backed, sent off evens favourite as whispers of his prowess among the 100-strong juvenile team at Richard Hannon's Wiltshire yard filtered up to South Yorkshire.

Money certainly talked as the colt looked a class apart from his rivals. Amo Racing's retained rider Rossa Ryan always looked confident and did not have to ask his mount any serious questions to send him on for an ultra-smooth four-and-three-quarter-length success.

Persian Force waltzes to a dominant win in the Brocklesby under Rossa RyanCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"He was very good," the jockey said. "He was very professional. We liked him at home. He hasn't done a lot but everything we've done with him he's done well and professionally, and today was the same.

"He didn't even look at the crowd, he just did his job. I never had a moment's worry. We were going a good gallop and I was always cantering all over them."

Today is just the start for Persian Force, of whom much better is expected after this debut success in a race landed by subsequent Royal Ascot winner Chipotle last year and future Group 1 winner The Last Lion in 2016.

Watch Persian Force cruise home in the Brocklesby Stakes

"He's going to improve," Ryan said. "I hope we've only scraped the surface of what's underneath the bonnet yet. He's got bundles of speed and when the time comes and he needs to go up to six furlongs, he'll be much better equipped. He's going to be nice."

Hannon's senior head lad Tony Gorman added: "You've got to be thinking about Royal Ascot. Rossa said there's a lot underneath that we haven't found yet."

Trainer Darryll Holland was delighted to have Primrose Ridge finish second, 30 years after he won the race as a jockey on Touch Silver.

"That was a great start," he said. "She's a lovely filly and a great, strapping colt worth a lot of money beat her. Paul Eddery and I bought this for 8,400gns – you can't go wrong.

"I won this for Barry Hills many moons ago. I didn't have grey hair then!"

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