Compton win books ticket for the Million

Gerard Butler's "flagship" is set to travel across the Atlantic after plundering the spoils at Glorious Goodwood yesterday. Compton Bolter came from well off the pace to catch and pass long-time leader Maniatis well inside the final furlong of the £50,000 Lady O Memorial Glorious Rated Stakes.

In doing so, the four-year-old booked a ticket to America for the Arlington Million in Chicago in a fortnight's time.

Maniatis looked for a long way as if he might have succeeded in fighting off all challengers but Compton Bolter, a 12-1 chance, enjoyed a vintage ride from reigning champion jockey Kevin Darley to score by a neck with five lengths back to Delius in third.

"When the rain came yesterday I thought that we had every reason to stay at home," said Butler, who trains the colt for the stable's principal patron, Erik Penser.

"But I walked the track after the first race and it's not that bad, particularly on the strip of ground next to the far rail, and that was our gameplan, although Maniatis got to it first.

"He was off the bridle for a long way and it wasn't until going through the junction [the intersection where the round course joins the straight] that he started to snap.

"He only cost 17,000 guineas as a yearling and he has never missed a day's training, he is such an amazing horse. It's the Arlington Million next, he loves travelling and about the only place he hasn't been is Hong Kong but we'll get him there one day."

Jamie Spencer was another rider to come in for praise as he started the day's proceedings with a 63-1 double.

Venturer was given an enterprising ride to land the opening contest by a length and a half from Royal Millennium. The 16-1 chance got a perfect split on the far rail and burst through to lead a furlong out.

John Gosden, the winner's trainer, explained: "I said to Jamie beforehand that he was drawn on the inside but the horse didn't have the class to go round them. So I told him that if he managed to get through, which he did, he would be called a genius and if not then he could blame the trainer!"

The unlucky horse in the race was the favourite, Royal Millennium. Richard Quinn went for a gap that quickly closed two furlongs out and then failed to get a clear run until it was too late.

Luca Cumani may be lacking in some of the numerical strength he used to have but the master of Bedford House stables still knows how to send out a winner at these big meetings and he helped Spencer wrap up his double as Askham triumphed in the melcollier.com Stakes.

The 11-4 favourite galloped clear of his rivals down the straight and only had to be kept up to his work to score by three lengths from Masterful.

"He's a long-striding horse and I was worried about the rain getting into the ground and making it tacky," admitted Cumani. "But they are getting through it fine as you can see.

"I was going to run him in the Listed race over a mile tomorrow as I think he has enough pace but in the end I had second thoughts as I thought he was pretty fairly-handicapped.

"Last time he came up against a horse of Sir Mark Prescott's who, let us say, may not have had his full complement of weight, and the third horse ran a great race in the Gordon Stakes so the form was looking good. I think he is good enough to go for Listed and Group Three races."

Fath continued his resurgence in form when springing a 14-1 surprise in the Theo Fennell Lennox Stakes.

Since the four-year-old returned to the care of Marcus Tregoning after a year with Godolphin, he has thrived and may well be kept in training for at least another season. Martin Dwyer brought Fath down the outside to lead at the furlong-pole and the combination ran on strongly to defeat Munir by three-quarters of a length.

"I liked him very much as a two-year-old and now that he has finally started to relax in his races, getting seven furlongs is no longer a problem," Tregoning said.