Fanshawe fillies still flying

James Fanshawe added another string to his bow of top-notch fillies when Soldera edged out Miss Ivanhoe to take the feature race at Ascot yesterday.

Soldera got up late under Jamie Spencer to win the Listed October Club Treehouse Trust EBF Valiant Stakes.

Fanshawe already has classy performers such as Soviet Song and Macadamia among his team.

“James is having a great year with the girls,” smiled winning owner Andrew Cohen – better known to many as the owner of that superb jumper Suny Bay.

“You will have to ask him where she goes next, but maybe they will have a race just for his three-year-old fillies!

“She was really bought just as a breeding prospect, because she is from the family of Fanfreluche, a champion mare in Canada.

“She just didn’t get the run of the race at Sandown last time and before that she ran into Khulood when she broke the course record at Newmarket.”

Spencer became the second rider of the day to complete a brace when Beneventa justified favouritism in the concluding Singapore Turf Club Handicap.

Punters were singing in the rain as mud-lover Fantasy Believer landed a gamble under a never-say-die ride from Darryll Holland in the Weatherbys Bank Rated Stakes.

Holland, who was moving on to 99 winners for the season, looked in trouble when trapped on the stands rail and seemingly going nowhere two furlongs out.

But with a determined thrust, he brought Fantasy Believer through to lead inside the final 100 yards and hold the challenge of Onlytime Will Tell by half a length.

The 15-8 favourite had been more than twice that price in the betting shops in the morning but supporters were given confidence by the rain and plunged on John Quinn’s charge.

“He’s not in the Stewards’ Cup because it is usually fast ground there and this fellow likes to get his toe in,” said Quinn.

“The race we want to win in is the Great St Wilfrid Handicap, because we know he likes Ripon.”

Holland added: “I rode this horse at Goodwood when he finished second last month and I thought he would win again when the ground was right as he goes through it real good.”

The jockey had initiated a double when scooting up by 12 lengths in the Merchant Maiden Stakes on the Jeremy Noseda-trained Carry On Katie.