Return To Unit has look of an improver for next year

Return To Unit could have a bright future after making it third time lucky at Nottingham on Wednesday.

Trained by Roger Varian, the son of Kingman cost 900,000 guineas as a yearling and is a half-brother to Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Tamarkuz and also St James’s Palace winner Without Parole, but had failed to hit the target in his first two starts having been unraced at two.

However, he gained compensation for his near-miss at Lingfield last time to run out a commanding winner of the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes in the hands of Ray Dawson at Colwick Park.

It was a performance that suggests there could be more to come from the 9-2 scorer, who may have now earned himself a reprieve from the sales ring.

“He is a massively improving horse, he was looking pretty stationary in the summer but he has come on leaps and bounds with every run,” said Billy Jackson-Stops, racing manager for owners Victorious Forever.

“He showed a bit of grit and determination today and he’s quite a ‘framey’ horse who I think is only going to get better with time again. Hopefully he is quite an exciting one.

“He is in the horses in training sale and there will be a meeting with His Highness (Shaikh Nasser bin Hamed Al Khalifa) down the line to see if he will take up that entry or will continue with Roger into next season. But he definitely showed us enough there to initiate that discussion.

“He could be one who we could put away over the winter, let him fully furnish and then hopefully improve again from three to four and then he could be there for some nice races next season.

“It’s a decision to be made by the Victorious Forever team and we will know more soon, but I do think if we keep him he could be a lot of fun.”

It was a case of keeping it in the family for John and Thady Gosden’s Iceni Queen (4-1), who is owned by Rachel Hood and ran out an impressive seven-length winner of the PricedUp EBF Restricted Maiden Fillies’ Stakes under Benoit De La Sayette.

The winning rider said: “She has got a lot of growing up, and strengthening to do, but she will be a nice filly for races over a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half next year.”

Meanwhile, David Egan was the star of the afternoon in the saddle, claiming both feature handicaps on the card.

He partnered Alan King’s Loughville to successfully drop back in trip in the Close Brothers Premium Finance Handicap, before bringing up a quickfire double when guiding Emma Lavelle’s St Mawes (10-1) to a keeping-on half-length success in the Close Brothers Colwick Cup Handicap.

The latter’s delighted owner Julian Reed said: “Emma and her team have done a lovely job with him and I’m really pleased. We thought there was talent with him, but it has been unlocking that ability and it now seems to have clicked at last. The feedback after his last win was that he had come on again.

“I thought we were beaten and I thought the other horse, after getting ahead, was going to beat us, but he battled back which was brilliant to see. I was banging my fists up and down on the rail shouting him on. I’m thrilled to bits.”