Alfred Wallace gets back to winning ways in Solario Stakes

Alfred Wallace put his experience to good use when running out a narrow winner of the BetMGM Solario Stakes at Sandown.

Ed Walker’s two-year-old was making his seventh appearance of the season in a Group Three contest that had a notable late absentee in hot favourite Rock Montreal, who was taken out on account of the deteriorating conditions.

Alfred Wallace had impressed when winning the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes at Ascot last month and having since finished fourth in Acomb Stakes at York, he was an 11-4 shot to get back on the winning trail at Group Three level just 10 days later.

Kieran Shoemark kept things simple on the chestnut son of Dubawi, positioning him on the heels of the pacesetting Sonic Angel before taking over and committing for home two furlongs from the finish.

While some of his less experienced rivals took a while to find their stride and wandered when coming under pressure, Alfred Wallace stayed straight and true and had enough up his sleeve to see off Dover Street by half a length, with Breacher the same distance further behind in third.

Walker said: “What a dude, he’s an absolute star to back up 10 days after York.

“I was really cross when I saw the entries for this as the plan was always to come straight here, but I got tempted by York and probably didn’t give Aidan’s horse (Haffner) the respect he deserved.

“When I saw the entries for this I had to put him in and spent my week kicking myself for going to York, but what a tough little horse – he helped me out of trouble.”

The Lambourn handler plans to give Alfred Wallace a shot at Group One glory before the season is out, adding: “You can’t see a rib on him, he’s been busy and never leaves an oat. He’s always fresh as paint at home and he’s got such a great appetite for it.

“A few high-profile non-runners probably helped us there but I see William Muir every morning and he thinks the world of his horse who was third (Breacher).

“Our fellow just has that battle-hardened experience, he’s small and strong and tough. I’ve not trained many Dubawis and people always mention their constitution and that is what this fellow has.

“He’s got his Listed and Group Three wins now and that is massively important to owners Rockcliffe Stud.

“I think by the law of physics he will find life tougher next year when the more backward horses are coming out and that is why we are squeezing the lemon a little bit this year.

“We’ll definitely have a shot at a Group One with him, he’s in everything and I’ll just have to try not to run him in all of them!”