Three Weekend Eyecatchers - 20/05/19

Sir Michael Stoute had a superb weekend and what started it off was his five year old superstar Crystal Ocean made it two wins from two this season when landing the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes with ease at Newbury.

Crystal Ocean has been a very consistent horse throughout his career but at the same time has been very unlucky to still not a Group One win under his belt.

However, after chipping away over the last few seasons constantly notching up win is Group Two and Three contest this could be his season.

He has entries at Royal Ascot with the Group One Prince Of Wales's Stakes looking his most likely contest and with how progressive and workmanlike in his wins so far this season you can't rule him out.

Just over an hour later and Sir Michael Stoute's day just got a whole lot better when his six year old Mustashry under a brilliant patient ride by Jim Crowley went on to land the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes.

Mustashry won at 9/1 and although having a consistent record throughout his career he was not really talked about in the run up to this race but is now someone who will be in the conversation for other Group 1 races over one mile.

This was Sir Michael Stoute's eighth success in the race with his first coming back 1986. It just shows that one of the oldest trainers in the sport is still at the top of his game and has been consistently for nearly 40 years.

The final runner from the weekend that put in a nice performance came from Newmarket in the Listed Betway King Charles II Stakes and the Simon Crisford trained Jash justified favouritism to just prevail close home.

This was another winner for Hamdan Al Maktoum across the weekend, who this season really seems to have one of their strongest operations running in English flat racing.

Jash was the 10/11 favourite and in a really hot race that saw three of the field all go close towards the line it was Crisford's three-year-old who managed to stick his neck out and secure his third win in four races.

This was his first time going over seven furlongs and although he will come on for the run, from what we have seen so far if he was to drop back to six furlongs it might benefit him more in stronger contests.

However, he is a very exciting youngster for the yard.