Friday 19 June 2015 17:23, UK
Illuminate justified favouritism in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot under a solid ride from Richard Hughes, who scored his first winner of the meeting.
In the opening race of Day Four, Richard Hannon's promising filly made it two wins from two - beating Ashadihan and Elegant Supermodel into second and third respectively.
Wesley Ward's Laxfield House set a furious pace early on in the 6f contest as she surged clear of the field in the opening two furlongs - fading after the half-mile post as Elegant Supermodel took it up two out.
The French-trained outsider immediately had Ashadihan looming up on her outside but further wide still, Hughes was easing 4-1 favourite Illuminate in to full flight and she quickly asserted in the final furlong to score by one-and-a-half lengths.
Hughes said afterwards: "I finally got one. The whole idea is not to let your confidence go. I think I was 20 lengths off at halfway but she travelled really good and moved really good.
"I was a little bit worried about the ground but she's very talened. She's got a great action. The next run will probably be Newmarket so we'll go from there."
Looking ahead to potential future targets, Hannon said: "There's nothing like training winners here and with it being Hughesie's last year it means a lot.
"She's always been a good filly and we always thought the world of her. I was a little bit surprised she won first time out, it was a bit of an inconvenience as it was a conditions race and meant we couldn't go back for another novice, so we had to wing it here.
"She's not that experienced and they went quick, which probably suited her. She travelled great and she's a lovely looking filly.
"The Cherry Hinton at Newmarket has got to be on the cards, as has the Lowther at York and it was only the other day I said she'd make a Cheveley Park filly. I think she would stay (a mile), but she has a lot of speed."
