David Elsworth will consider a tilt at the Prix de l'Abbaye with Justice Day after the talented sprinter enjoyed a confidence-boosting return to winning ways at Leicester.
A three-time winner as a juvenile and a Listed scorer at three, the son of Acclamation has kept good company so far as a four-year-old, racing almost exclusively at Listed and Group level.
Last month's Nunthorpe at York proved too much for Elsworth's charge, but dropped significantly in grade for the EBF Stallions Prestwold Conditions Stakes, Justice Day was the 5-4 favourite under Silvestre de Sousa and dominated proceedings from the front on his way to a two-and-a-quarter-length success.
The Newmarket handler is looking forward to a trip to Paris this weekend with shock Juddmonte International winner Arabian Queen set to take on Arc heroine Treve in the Prix Vermeille, and Justice Day might also make the cross-Channel journey early next month.
Elsworth said: "He's been running very well in top company all year, so it's great to see him get his head in front.
"People forget he was third in the Middle Park as a two-year-old and he's run in a lot of good races since then.
"Today looked like a race he could win and it was a nice little sweetener for him. I think it will do his confidence good and that's very important with horses.
" Five furlongs with a bit of cut in the ground suits him best and he could be the sort of horse who'd run well in the Abbaye, so we'll consider that.
"He might be a horse to take to Dubai in the winter, but we'll see.
"He's won over £130,000 and he's been a real fun horse."
Paul Hanagan enjoyed a birthday winner aboard the impressive Muntazah in division one of the British Stallion Studs EBF Apollo Maiden Stakes.
The 35-year-old dual champion jockey cut a confident figure throughout the seven-furlong contest and the Barry Hills-trained 1-2 favourite readily pulled clear in the final furlong.
The trainer's son, Richard, said: " He's a lovely horse. He ran a fantastic race first time and was a bit unlucky and probably came back a bit quick next time.
"Dad's just taken his time and he's won like a really good horse. Paul was really pleased with him.
"I think he's a horse that wants top of the ground. Whatever he does this year, he'll be a really nice three-year-old to look forward to.
"Dad will speak to Sheikh Hamdan (owner), we'll see how he comes out of the race and we'll make a plan from there."
Hills and Hanagan were narrowly denied a double in the second division, with 13-8 favourite Fawaareq touched off by Saeed bin Suroor's 6-1 shot Move Up.
Title-chasing apprentices Tom Marquand and Jack Garrity were both among the winners at the Midlands venue.
Marquand, who leads the apprentice race on 37 winners, reduced his claim to 3lb by winning the Rancliffe Selling Stakes on 4-1 chance Bitter Orange.
He said: "I t's a big milestone really. To get down to the 3lb so quickly has been a bit of a whirlwind - it's been massive.
"It's very nice to ride part of my claim out for Mr (Roger) Charlton, who's been a big supporter."
Garrity is two winners adrift on 35 after booting English Summer (6-1) home in front in the mr.freebet.co.uk On Your Mobile Handicap for his boss Richard Fahey.
Garrity said: "It helps when you've got the horse underneath you. He made me look good there."
Kakatosi was a 16-1 winner of the Weatherbys Bank Foreign Exchange Handicap, while the Charlie Hills-trained Rockfel entry Sepal (15-8 favourite) came nicely forward from her recent Newmarket introduction to take the British Stallion Studs EBF Filbert Maiden Fillies' Stakes.
