Rocks tops in May Hill

Jim Bolger's Turret Rocks eventually wore down Marenko to claim top honours in the 1stsecuritysolutions.co.uk May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

Jim Bolger's filly brought solid Pattern-race form to the table having run well in defeat in both the Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown and the Debutante Stakes at the Curragh and was a 7-2 chance in the hands of Kevin Manning.

Marenko, looking to complete a major double on the day for Richard Hannon following Gutaifan's strike in the Flying Childers, was smartly away in the hands of Sean Levey and soon bowling along merrily at the head of affairs.

The Hannon runner looked to have cut loose when taking a couple of lengths out of the field heading inside the final furlong, but her stride soon began to shorten and Turret Rocks stayed on best to get up and score by three-quarters of a length.

Manning said: "She has a great attitude. When you're rowing away at her three-and-a-half or four (furlongs) down, you know when you pick her up and change your hands she's going to keep lengthening across the line.

"I think she's a filly that's really a three-year-old and when she steps up in trip next year you'll see the best of her.

"I'd be very surprised if she didn't get a mile and a half."

Bolger said: "I had two fillies in the race, one for top of the ground and one for soft ground. The top of the ground one won out.

"She ran very well at the Curragh over seven furlongs. They went a really good pace here from start to finish and basically she's a mile-and-a-half filly for next year.

"I think she gets most of the stamina from the dam's side and she comes from a good family that includes Goldikova. It's a staying pedigree."

Hannon, responsible for the fourth home Light Up Our World as well as the runner-up, said: "I'm delighted. The filly that finished second ran a super race. She got a nice lead in front and just got caught in the last 100 yards.

"She's in the Fillies' Mile and will make a lovely filly next year. The other filly has surprised me. She's a good filly and Jim (Crowley) said if she'd had soft ground she'd have gone very close."

Marenko carries the colours of Cheveley Park Stud and managing director Chris Richardson said: "She likes to set her own pace and being out in front.

"Take nothing away from the winner who is obviously useful. Our filly looked like she was coming back at the winner. The Fillies' Mile is a possibility. She's done nothing wrong today and she might go for a Guineas trial next year."