The six-furlong Cure Leukaemia EBF Novice Stakes which kicked off leg three of the 2024 Sky Bet Sunday Series card was won cosily by the Starspangledbanner colt, about whom the trainer had commented pre-race that he was not “fully wound up for his debut”.

In the end it mattered not, the 5/4 favourite picking up professionally under Oisin Orr towards the middle of the track and coming to lay down the challenge to fellow newcomer Motawahij with a furlong to travel. Once in front the result never really looked in doubt and the chestnut was kept up to his work to score by a couple of lengths.

The Wathnan Racing-owned Catalyse was introduced at 20/1 by Paddy Power for the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot later this month.

In the Sky Bet, For The Fans Handicap, Ian Williams’ Whathappensinvegas (7/2)went one better than at Musselburgh 24 hours earlier, quickening brightly to win the mile and a half contest by a length and a half from Victory Shout (9/4).

Also on the night, Kevin Ryan’s Dark Moon Rising sprang a 28/1 surprise in the Sky Bet Club Handicap, beating 15/8 favourite Fairbanks by a length and a quarter, while the Jack Channon-trained Desperate Hero (9/1) was a striking winner of the Sky Bet Build A Bet Handicap as he emerged four and a half lengths to the good over 100/30 market leader American Affair.

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