Presenting shows his class

PRESENTING outclassed and outstayed his rivals in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury yesterday and on that showing will be the horse to beat in the St Leger at Doncaster in four weeks' time. The one proviso is the ground: the long-striding son of Mtoto needs the going to be on the fast side in order to show his best form.

John Reid replaced the injured Frankie Dettori (who returns to action at York on Tuesday) on the Derby third, and let him bowl along behind Midnight Legend until the straight. Three furlongs out he eased level with the leader; two out he shook the reins and asked the brown colt for the race.

Presenting, who was running beyond a mile and a half for the first time, responded decisively by lengthening clear to land the odds impressively by three lengths.

The four-year-old Midnight Legend was headed by Don Corleone in the final furlong, but fought back to regain second place close home as his rival's stamina ran out. The winner's trainer John Gosden said: "Given his ground he's a top-class horse, and he is still progressing."

Amazing Bay may be closely related to Lochsong, but their styles of running are very different. The popular former champion sprinter used to blaze away at the front of the field, but her two-year-old "cousin" (their dams are half-sisters) has to be held up for a late run, which she demonstrated most effectively in the Manton St Hugh's Stakes, a Listed contest for two-year-old fillies.

Willie Ryan waited patiently at the back on the daughter of Mazilier - who, like Lochsong, is bred and owned by Jeff Smith and trained by Ian Balding - as Maggi For Margaret took the field along, then brought her from last to first with a sweeping run next to the stand side rails approaching the final furlong.

Amazing Bay has been tried over six furlongs but like her celebrated relative is clearly most effective over the minimum trip of five furlongs.

In the Yattendon Maiden Stakes the Ed Dunlop-trained Silver Prey, third to the smart Alhaarth on his debut, paid a compliment to the 1996 Derby favourite when he got up on the line under Walter Swinburn to beat Reinhardt.

Debutant Coldstream, who is entered for the Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot next month, was an eye-catching third in a contest that often throws up a decent staying juvenile.