Charlie Appleby’s decision to drop Symbol Of Honour back to six furlongs paid dividends when the striking grey powered to victory in the Listed Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.
A two-time winner over the six-furlong trip at Meydan this season, Symbol Of Honour raced too freely when slightly disappointing behind the Irish Guineas-bound Cosmic Year at Newmarket a fortnight ago.
However, dropped back to six, he looked right back to his best, travelling sweetly in the hands of stable jockey William Buick prior to showing a fairly explosive turn of foot. That striking turn of foot carried him to the front passing the two-furlong pole and although the even-money favourite Ides Of March and Sayidah Dariyan attempted to throw down a challenge on either side, neither were capable of landing a blow on Symbol Of Honour, who found plenty inside the final furlong to prevail by a length and three quarters.
Aidan O'Brien's Ides Of March battled on well to get the better of Sayidah Dariyan by a neck to claim the runner-up spot.
Although the Carnarvon Stakes has often been used as a stepping stone for the Commonwealth Cup at the Royal Meeting, with Symbol Of Honour being a gelding Appleby will have to look to make alternative plans.
"Dropping back to six furlongs has been the making of him and we saw him over six in Dubai and he won twice," said Appleby, who also landed the prize with fellow gelding Creative Force a few years ago.
"Some of these sprinters take a while to get the hang of it and he's mentally doing well and physically doing well.
"Where we go, I'll have to have a think, but he won't be a Jersey Stakes type as at Newmarket we saw he didn't handle the track, but more importantly just didn't see the seven furlongs out.
"I had him pencilled as a Jersey horse after Dubai but William was adamant on the evidence of Newmarket to drop back to six and you saw there why. They've gone a good gallop and he's a strong traveller – if anything William said he probably got there a bit too soon.
"It's good to get him back on track and hopefully the trainer might now run him over the right trip.
"The conditions were here to suit him today and we were confident we just had the favourite to beat. We felt we had to find a bit to beat the favourite on bare evidence, but with some of these sprinters, some of them are still going the right way and thankfully he seems to be one that is."
