Quickthorn routs rivals after Lonsdale Cup cuts up

Quickthorn turned the Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Stakes into a procession as Hughie Morrison's stayer continued his rise up the staying ranks.

Second in both the Further Flight Stakes and Sagaro Stakes in April, he went on to land the Group Three Henry II Stakes at Sandown before adding the Group Two Prix Maurice de Nieuil at ParisLongchamp last month.

With Stradivarius and Trueshan both absent, he brought up his hat-trick in facile fashion on the Knavesmire, with Tom Marquand dictating terms aboard the 9-4 winner to make every yard.

Allowed an easy easy lead in the early stages, he extended his advantage to upwards of 10 lengths as the field travelled down the back, with the gap only betting bigger in the home straight, where Marquand was able to comfortably cruise home in splendid isolation.

He returned a winning distance of 14 lengths back to runner-up Coltrane.

A clearly impressed Marquand said: "I’m pretty blown away by him. Obviously I’ve ridden him the last few times and got a really good feel off him at Sandown and in France. When I pulled up in France I felt like I had a couple of gears left, but ultimately on these stayers you might be kidding yourself a bit.

"I could have broken his stride but what’s the point, he’s an exuberant stayer with a full tank under him and we went steady enough that he doesn’t overcook it.

"I knew I’d stretched away down the back, at the two I gave him a flick as he was looking at the crowd but I heard the commentary and looked at the big screen and was able to take a sit.

"You almost wish the big guns were here to see what might have happened. He also did it on ground that was probably quicker than ideal.

"I’m hugely excited for what the future might hold as he’s only just getting