Charlie Appleby looks to have yet another exciting prospect on his hands after Saba Desert showed a smart turn of foot to claim the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket.

Despite making a smooth winning debut at Sandown, the striking son of Dubawi was sent off an easy to back 6/1 chance to give trainer Charlie Appleby a sixth success in the contest, with Aidan O'Brien's Italy all the rage at 4/7 following his taking first time out victory at Leopardstown.

In what would prove a messy race with the front-running Venetian Lace hanging markedly left-handed in the closing stages, Saba Desert came home strongly and untroubled against the near side rail, picking up well in the final furlong to get the better of Italy by a length and a quarter crossing the line.

The ding-dong sounded to announce a stewards' enquiry but following several minutes, the result was announced as unchanged.

Appleby, who landed the race last season with the ill-fated Ancient Truth, said of his latest winner: "He's a horse that we've liked from the get-go. We were pleased with the way he did it at Sandown and he progressed naturally from there to here.

"It's a race that people know now that we try and find the right one for it. I didn't mind him fluffing the start, I'd rather he does that than hit the lids and be up on the pace. He's done it all the right way around.

"He's a lovely deep-girthed horse. He's a horse that we'll work back from the Dewhurst Stakes with, whether we decide to go the National Stakes route or Champagne Stakes, we'll see.

"He'll get a nice break now. He won't go to the Vintage Stakes, but the third horse (Wild Desert) could go there."