No napping for Sleeping Indian at Newbury

Sleeping Indian appreciated the rain-softened ground to return to winning ways in the stanjamesuk.com Hungerford Stakes.

The lightly-raced four-year-old had lost his unbeaten record when only fourth in the Sussex Stakes, but he bounced back in style to land his first Group victory.

Attraction took the field along on the near side with Royal Storm ploughing a lone furrow in the centre of the course.

Jimmy Fortune pushed the John Gosden-trained colt into the lead a furlong out and Sleeping Indian, the 9-4 joint-favourite, kept on well to beat Majors Cast by a length.

Pivotal Flame was a neck away in third with Attraction a creditable fourth on her first run since May. The big disappointment was Nayyir, who never got into the race.

Fortune told Channel 4 Racing: "He's a very nice horse. We're just very happy the rain came when it did. He loves to get his toe in.

“The weather changed. We got a bit of rain half an hour before and it just made all the difference. We went very quick and this horse gets every yard of a mile, that’s why I took it up when I did. He stays.

“He’s a lovely horse, he’s done nothing but progress all year and hopefully he’ll keep progressing.”