'This was too good an opportunity to miss' - Knightswood surges back to form for Charlie Johnston

Knightswood had been a touch frustrating since running at Royal Ascot last year, but he surged back to his best when comfortably landing the 1m4f handicap for Charlie Johnston.

Having landed a maiden and a novice on his first two starts as a three-year-old, Knightswood finished sixth in the Golden Gates Handicap at Royal Ascot, but his form tailed off afterwards. However, he showed his best here with a two-and-three-quarter-length victory under Joe Fanning.

"It's been a little while but he showed he was coming back to his best at Ayr last week, and although he was actually going down 2lb in the handicap, this looked too good an opportunity to miss and thankfully he's obliged," Johnston said.

"Perhaps he went from nothing to everything very quickly last year. From winning his novice to running at Royal Ascot in the space of three weeks, we may have asked a lot of him in a short space of time and as a result his form tailed off a bit at the back end.

"On his sixth at Royal Ascot he's a good horse, and hopefully he can now take advantage of his favourable mark."

On where Knightswood's next start could be, Johnston said: "The handicapper will dictate a bit as to how quickly he's out again, but there's a mile and a half 0-85 at Beverley a week on Sunday and that's Brian's [Yeardley, owner] local track, so it's not impossible he could reappear there."

Fanning later doubled up when steering the Adrian Keatley-trained Another Baar to victory in the 6f handicap.

Promising Pretty

The well-supported Richard Fahey-trained Pretty Crystal made a fine impression when taking the 6f fillies' novice under David Nolan on her debut. The juvenile opened a best-priced 7-1 with Paddy Power in the morning, but returned at just 13-8 favourite.

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