Flora Of Bermuda back in front on the Knavesmire

Flora Of Bermuda has the Lennox Stakes in her sights after bouncing back to her best to land a second William Hill Summer Stakes at York.

Andrew Balding’s five-year-old was a disappointment in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, getting upset in the stalls and finishing tailed off last behind Almeraq.

But returned to one of her favourite stamping grounds she produced a gritty performance to hold off the late attentions of First Instinct by a neck to repeat her 2024 win in the Group Three contest.

Flora Of Bermuda (3-1) will step up in trip to seven furlongs in the Group Two HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes (July 28) and, depending on how she gets on, could return to the Knavesmire for the Group One City of York Stakes (August 22).

“We have talked about the idea of trying her at seven furlongs so the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood and that could open up the City Of York Stakes otherwise it would be back to Haydock (for the Betfair Sprint Cup in September),” Balding told Racing TV.

Reflecting on the Royal meeting, jockey James Doyle insisted the reverse had done nothing to shake his faith in the Wathnan Racing-owned mare.

“Things didn’t go according to plan at Ascot, but I have to say I was up behind Tom Marquand on the Shadwell horse (Almeraq) and the bit kind of slipped and it was all a bit of a mess. She felt like she was going pretty well at the time,” he said.

“Obviously It was hard to say what would have happened, but she was clearly in good form coming here today and she is a classy enough mare and has proper Group One form in the book.”

Of the plan to step up in trip, Doyle said: “It will be interesting to see as she can go seven furlongs. There are options at Glorious Goodwood so we will have a think and plot a path. I know Andrew likes the race here so that could also be an option.”

Another to roll back the years was Northern Express, with Michael Dods’ eight-year-old landing a first win in just under two years in the William Hill Extra Place Races Daily Handicap.

The eight-year-old was well-supported in the market, returning at 7-1, and just got up from David O’Meara’s Pellitory close home but jockey Paul Mulrennan felt he had plenty in hand and, more importantly, plenty more to offer

“He has been running in some good gigs. We went to Bahrain in the winter which probably didn’t do him any harm – bit of sun on his back. But he’s still got plenty of life left in him,” he said.