The going was good in more ways than one this cloudy but perfectly pleasant summer evening, with five winning favourites helping punters.

The well backed Dancing Star (7/4 fav) broke well and led throughout the 6f maiden for two-year-olds. Fourth here in June in a race which spawned several subsequent winners, the Andrew Balding filly benefited from being drawn on the stands rail. David Probert was able to extend her lead from one length to three in the final furlong, but the official verdict was two and a quarter lengths, with Dark Forest and Figurante dead heating for second.

Though the outsider of the four runners, Surprise Us, tried to do just that in the 1m4f seller by making all the running, he could not hold off the winning combination in this race last year. This was Nebula Storm (11/10 fav), trained by Gary Moore and ridden by Hector Crouch. Under pressure from two out, he took a while to wear down the leader but having got to the front inside the last furlong he was in control and finished a length and a quarter ahead. There was no bid at the auction.

Roger Charlton's Wheat Sheaf (4/9 fav) came cruising into the last quarter of the mile maiden for three-year-olds. Though jockey George Baker was loath to draw the whip until the last hundred yards, a tap was necessary to get him to go past the game long-time leader Courier. It was enough to give him a three quarters of a length advantage at the post. After eight months off Free One ran on well to be a close third.

The mile fillies' handicap looked like a decent race, with most of the runners having won this season. One exception was the Clive Cox-trained Rosalie Bonheur (9/2), who bounced back to form in good style. Traffic problems threatened till Pat Dobbs found her a gap with 150 yards to go, from where she ran on well to deprive Postbag of the spoils by a short head, the pair drawing clear.

The favourite Major Pusey passed the post well ahead of his opponents in the 5f handicap, but unfortunately he was riderless, having bolted while horses were being loaded into the stalls. Once he was withdrawn the new 5/2 favourite Rio Ronaldo obliged, being held up off a strong pace prior to running on through a big gap on the stands side to lead inside the last 75 yards. Pat Dobbs was completing a double. Mike Murphy's three-year-old made a good impression when winning here over 6f earlier in the year. Majestic Hero was the three-quarter length runner-up.

Dalmarella Dancer (15/8 fav) and the evergreen Choral Festival locked horns in the 1m2f handicap for the third time in two months and this time it was the Dancer who prevailed. Karl Burke's filly went for home two out, though just when it seemed her lead was unassailable she veered left when Jordan Vaughan used his whip in his right hand. He straightened her out and she kept going, albeit with tail swishing. Kalon Brama ran on well to be a half-length second and Choral wasn't far away in third.