Racing: Punch hits the target

When it comes to a slugging match to sort out dominance Persian Punch is still the master at the age of nine as he proved yet again at Salisbury yesterday when outbattling two younger rivals.

The stayer, trained just down the road from the Wiltshire track by David Elsworth, tried to make all the running under Martin Dwyer in the 14-furlong event, but when relegated to third he put his head down and rallied past the Frankie Dettori-ridden Warrsan by a short head, with Kieren Fallon on Harlestone Grey the same distance back in third.

"It's always the same when they go by him as it seems to wind him up," Elsworth said. "Everybody says he has not run well this season but he was only beaten four lengths in the Ascot Gold Cup and that's a Group One. We brought him here as a pipe-opener for the Doncaster Cup next week and after that we will have a look at the Prix du Cadran at Longchamp."

Elsworth said his stable star would not take part in the Melbourne Cup again this year: "People have said to me it takes a while to recover from that race. That may be, as he has just given us all the right signals in the past few weeks."