Soviet Line gives authoritarian display

Soviet Line held on grittily by a neck in rain-softened ground to beat Charnwood Forest in the Lockinge Stakes here yesterday, his second successive victory in the Group One mile event. And trainer Michael Stoute was quick to give the credit to the six-year-old's two jockeys - Richard Quinn, who rode him for the first time yesterday, and Sheena Dunlop, his regular partner at home in Newmarket.

Stoute said: "The horse would not be what he is without Sheena. He's not an easy ride at home - he takes a tug and hangs all over the place - and no-one wants to ride him but her. She looks after him, and knows him well and is the greatest factor in his success."

Quinn picked up the public ride when Pat Eddery lost it after the awkward gelding's narrow, unlucky defeat in the Group Two Sandown Mile last time out.

Drawn on the outside of the seven-strong field, Quinn let Soviet Line shadow the front rank as Gabr took them along at a fairly sedate early pace, and let the gelding's natural tendency to drift to the left take him over to the far rail once the pace stepped up.

From there Soviet Line ran home straight and true, despite being on his own, as Charnwood Forest, having his first run for the Godolphin team, came clear of the labouring favourite Spectrum down the centre of the course. Stoute said: "I left the tactics to Richard, and I thought gave the horse a wonderful ride. He's a bit of a star."

Soviet Line is the first horse to win successive runnings of the Lockinge since Welsh Pageant 25 years ago, with the important difference that the contest was upgraded to the top level last year. He and Charnwood Forest are scheduled to meet again in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, but Stoute is not over-confident of the outcome of the re-match. He remarked: "Our fellow is very game, but that Group One penalty is a bit of a bugger."

There was some compensation for the Weinstock family for Spectrum's below- par performance when the progressive Election Day confirmed the promise of his second place in the Ormonde Stakes and initiated a Stoute double with a comfortable four lengths victory over Minds Music in the Aston Park Stakes.

The lightly-raced four-year-old had encountered traffic problems behind Oscar Schindler at Chester, but finished strongly to beat Minds Music by a short-head. Being 3lb better off with that rival yesterday, Election Day's starting price of 5-2 looked rather generous.

The strong pace set by Posidonas had the field strung out in the straight and, although it took Election Day a few strides to hit top gear, once rousted by Willie Carson, he asserted his authority in no uncertain fashion in the final quarter mile and is developing into the smart middle-distance performer his pedigree - by Sadler's Wells out of St Leger runner-up Hellenic - suggests.

He, too, is bound for Royal Ascot, with a step up in class to the Hardwicke Stakes. Stoute said: "I'm pleased for the owners, because he has had various training problems and they have been very patient. But I think he's a decent horse, and worth the wait."

This week's Goodwood meeting will feature the return to British racing, in the Festival Stakes on Thursday, of King's Theatre, runner-up in the Derby and winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes two years ago. The five-year-old now runs for Godolphin after an abortive year racing in the United States.

Newbury card, page 29