'He's a hardy little battler' - Tiber Flow picks himself off the floor to win Group 3 John of Gaunt

Tom Marquand praised the resolution of Tiber Flow after the five-year-old erased memories of his York ordeal to win the Betfred John of Gaunt Stakes.

Tiber Flow and Marquand were sent crashing after being hampered in last month's Duke of York Stakes, but the Group 3 contest went much smoother for the pair.

There were worries the nasty fall might have left a mark, but Tiber Flow showed he was made of the right stuff as he weaved his way from the back of the field to win by a length from Sirona.

"That was a big performance," said Marquand. "He went back home after York and looked fine but you worry about the psychological effects of something like that, but he's a hardy little battler. 

"It was a bit of a fact-finding mission to make sure he was as well as he looked at home. It was his first try over seven furlongs for a little while and he had a bad draw, but they went quickly and coming up the middle meant we could furrow back in. He seemed to really enjoy it and it's fantastic that he's back to his best."

The Jon and Julia Aisbitt homebred, who is trained by William Haggas, was having his first run over 7f for nearly two years and the victory opens up options.

"As he gets older, he's getting better as he's travelling easier," said Haggas's wife Maureen. "Going round the bend kept him interested as he usually runs over six furlongs. I'm not sure there's anything for him at Ascot, but William and the Aisbitts will work it out." 

Queen does her parents proud

The regally bred Queen Of The Pride showed she had inherited some of her parents' outstanding talent with a victory full of promise in the Group 3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes.

The Qatar Racing-owned filly, by four-time Group 1-winning Roaring Lion out of St Leger heroine Simple Verse, drew clear of a tightly bunched field under Oisin Murphy and held on by a short-head from Lady Boba.

"She's been slow to come to hand but she's been well looked after and now we're reaping the rewards," said Murphy. "With more pace on and on nicer ground than last time, she was really easy to ride and I loved the way she galloped out at the finish."  

Queen Of The Pride (right) holds on to win the Group 3 Lester Piggott Fillies' StakesCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The Betfred-sponsored contest, formerly known as the Pinnacle Stakes, has been a springboard to top honours and Murphy believes Queen Of The Pride is capable of maintaining the trend.

"I think she'll get further and the Prix de Royallieu on Arc weekend might be a good race for her," he said.

Lion roars

Iron Lion put himself in contention for some bigger targets after winning the 1m4f handicap for David O'Meara and Jamie Spencer.

Gary Moore, stud manager for the four-year-old's owners Elwick Stud, said: "He's got quite a knee action and he really appreciated the rain that fell overnight. Good ground is good enough for him and we might think about the Ebor now. Jamie said he’ll stay, so we might go to Melbourne, we’ll see what David says."

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