Charlie Appleby and William Buick got this year’s Craven meeting at Newmarket off to the perfect start as Majestic Pride justified favouritism in the bet365 British EBF Conditions Stakes.
The reigning champion trainer and jockey invariably prove a formidable combination on the Rowley Mile and Majestic Pride was a 2-1 market leader for his first start since winning at Chelmsford in November.
The Shamardal colt was being niggled at with over two of the seven furlongs still to run, but responded to William Buick's urgings to grab the lead and was always doing enough from racing out of the dip to hold the challenge of Holguin at bay, with a neck separating the pair at the line.
Majestic Pride holds an entry for the Qipco 2000 Guineas on May 6, but Charlie Appleby does not currently consider him a contender for the season's first Classic.
He said: "This horse has been on the runners list for a few weeks, so I didn't think he was going to lack for fitness today.
"He's a horse, that with the ground being on the slow side as it is out there, all his family go on it, even though he's by Shamardal.
"Going forward, I'll speak to William but I don't think he's a Guineas horse.
"We'll probably look at the race back here – the King Charles II (May 5) over seven furlongs."
Amanda Perrett's Rebel Territory (7-2) also obliged for favourite backers in the National Stud Handicap, getting the better of Vafortino by half a length in the hands of Jim Crowley.
"He's a super horse but he's a little bit ground dependent," said Perrett.
"He was tending to over-race over a mile last year, so dropping to seven furlongs really suited.
"I think we'll look at the Victoria Cup if the ground is soft enough, then maybe go back to Goodwood."
The finish to the Close Brothers Handicap was dominated by Yorkshire trainers with David O'Meara's 11-1 shot Bopedro narrowly outpointing John Quinn's 7-2 market leader Empirestateofmind, while the Roger Fell-trained Toshizou pipped Charlie Johnston's Dutch Decoy to third.
"It was very heavy ground at Doncaster (when sixth in the Lincoln) and ours are needing a run this season and it's put him right. He ran well enough I thought," said O'Meara.
"He travelled nicely, met a little bit of traffic before he finished off well enough. His owner, Lee Bond, told me to leave the blinkers off today as it might freshen him up and that has clearly worked.
"There are lots of nice races at York, Ascot and Goodwood for him – there's a great programme for these milers. That was good today."
