Anthelia headlined an exciting day at Newbury on Saturday, winning the lucrative Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes for trainer Rod Millman.
It was a third success in the race for the trainer, who has carefully managed the career of Anthelia. The daughter of Supremacy was a landmark first Black Type winner for her first-season sire when taking the Listed National Stakes at Sandown, but had disappointed subsequently in the Listed Empress Fillies' Stakes, stepping up to six furlongs for the first time.
With nineteen runners after Our Cody unseated before loading, it was always going to pay to be prominent and jockey Lewis Edmunds was quick to move into contention with Anthelia. She looked to be outpaced in the closing two furlongs but responded well to her jockey's urgings, matching favourite Havana Hurricane stride for stride in the final stages, to win by a short head. Sands Of Spain finished third.
The Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Rage Of Bamby was a shock winner of the six furlong Group 3 Hackwood Stakes , building on her improvement in cheekpieces.
Stepping up from handicaps in 2014, the daughter of Saxon Warrior recorded a Listed Boudicea Stakes success at Newmarket in October but failed to fire on her first two runs as a five-year-old, finishing last. With cheekpieces applied, she produced a better effort when sixth in the Summer Stakes at York, but still came into the Newbury race as an outsider.
Ridden by Charlie Bishop, the mare was always in touch with the early leaders before making easy progress with two furlongs to run. She reached the front inside the final final furlong and ran out a convincing winner, one-and-three-quarter lengths ahead of King's Gamble with Regional back in third.
Bishop told ITV Racing: "She didn't run bad last time. We've had her for a few years now and her work is always exceptionally good at home. We're always tempted to run her too soon in the season, so we needed a bit of luck. The team are in good form. Sophie rides this filly every day at home, and all the team do a great job, so fingers crossed we can win the next as well."
Three defections left a field of five for the 1m2f Listed Steventon Stakes and it was a surprise victory for the Owen Burrows' trained Royal Dubai, who was having his first start for a new yard.
It was a first Stakes success for Royal Dubai, who had achieved two handicap victories in Meydan when trained by Marco Botti.
Despite stamina questions over Rashabar, the three-year-old colt set out to make all the running of the 1m2f trip under Sean Levey and the race looked to be over with two
furlongs to go. Callum Rodriguez, aboard Royal Dubai, had been waiting patiently and challenged late, to secure a narrow victory for new handler Owen Burrows.
