A Bit Of Spirit clings on for Solario glory as Stewards revise placings

A Bit Of Spirit continued Clive Cox’s good recent run when coming out on top in a tremendous four-way finish to the BetMGM Solario Stakes at Sandown.

The most experienced runner in the field having had four previous starts, Rossa Ryan set out to put that experience to good use by heading to the front in the Group Three affair.

He looked something of a sitting duck two furlongs out, as Royal Ascot winner Humidity, Brian Meehan’s Oceans Four and eventually Pacific Avenue, who was off the bridle a long way from home, made it a four-way go, each of them briefly looking the likely winner at some stage.

Pacific Avenue was first to fold and finished a clear fourth, albeit beaten less than half a length, while Oceans Four was leaning into Humidity by now, but was marginally in front of him. A Bit Of Spirit battled back, however, and crucially had his head down where it mattered.

A photo was called, and it was Cox – who won a valuable prize at York last week with Song Of The Clyde – who heard his horse called the winner. Oceans Four crossed the line in second and the Andrew Balding-trained Humidity in third, but those placings were reversed by the stewards