Detain may have Newcastle’s Listed BetMGM Burradon Stakes as a target following his successful return in the bet365 Cardinal Conditions Stakes at Chelmsford last week.
The Juddmonte three-year-old lengthened well to wear down the leaders inside the final furlong and score by a length, with runner-up Luther also shaping with promise.
Detain impressed in two all-weather appearances at Kempton Park last year for John & Thady Gosden, including winning a novice by seven lengths under a penalty.
The son of Wootton Bassett tackled Doncaster’s G1 Futurity Trophy on his final juvenile start, in which he finished sixth on testing ground.
Jockey Kieran Shoemark said: “This was a drop down in grade for Detain. He was just about ready and I felt he got a bit tired in the last half furlong. A good performance, and one I kind of hoped for as we know he likes the all-weather.
“We went a solid gallop. I was hoping to sit outside Hollie [Doyle], but I was not quick enough into stride and had to take a sit at halfway.
“He is a half-brother to Arrest, who loved softer conditions, so we thought we would roll the dice in the Futurity Trophy, but I knew at halfway that he was hating the ground. I think he is a horse who wants nice ground, potentially no extremes.
“He is by Wootton Bassett and has a bit more speed than his brother. He has class for sure, and he will come on for this – we always knew that. Where he goes now, I am not sure, but he could stay 10 furlongs.”
Southwell hosted a valuable fixture on Sunday, with Ferrous taking the feature sprint handicap for Jack Channon. Now four from six on the all-weather, the five-year-old was following up his comeback win at Lingfield Park’s AWC Trials Day in February.
The six-furlong highlight featured some likely Finals Day contenders, with Diligent Harry performing creditably in third under top weight, while G2 scorer Shartash was denied a clear run and finished 10th.
Gaiety Musical may have put herself in contention for the Fillies & Mares’ final thanks to her victory in a mile handicap on the same card. David Evans’ filly has enjoyed an excellent 2025, with this success following wins at Kempton Park and Wolverhampton.
Carbine Harvester has improved his chances of getting a run in the Three-Year-Old final after notching his fourth win of the campaign at Kempton Park. The son of Hello Youmzain had finished second behind So Darn Hot at Lingfield Park’s AWC Trials Day.
Hector Crouch maintains his lead in the all-weather jockeys’ championship, although Billy Loughnane has halved the deficit to two wins in the last week. The apprentice championship could also go down to the wire, with Jack Doughty leading Sean D Bowen by three.
