Dark Moon Rising stamped himself as a smart prospect for the year ahead with victory in the Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions Stakes at Chelmsford.
The Essex track's £100,000 feature is part of the European Road To The Kentucky Derby series, and attracted a strong field of six – including Blue Trail, Harrow and Find, who were virtually inseparable in a similar event at Kempton earlier in the month.
But in the end none of the supposed big three had an answer to Kevin Ryan's charge as he made light of an absence of 173 days to run out a ready winner under Kevin Stott from 2-1 favourite Harrow, whose late surge from the rear never looked like being enough, going down by a length and a quarter.
Stott said of the 6-1 winner, who runs in the colours of Pete and Angie Bailey and holds a Dante entry: "He did everything right and jumped well.
"He travelled smoothly, picked up when I asked him to and he hit the line good. He's very exciting.
"Kevin's horses are running well so fair play to him and the team at home."
