Dame Judi Dench lands Brigadier Gerard Stakes with Smokey Oakey

The Oscar-winning thespian elected to spend a night at a West End theatre rather than making the journey to a drizzly Esher to witness the four-year-old claim some notable scalps.

Another gong: Dame Judi Dench was not at Sandown to cheer on Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner Smokey Oakey

 
St Leger winner Lucarno and last year's Oaks favourite Passage Of Time were among those in the 14-strong field but both finished well down the pack as Mark Tompkins's charge got up by a neck.  

Maraahel struck the front entering the final furlong only to be gunned down by the winner, with last year's Cambridgeshire hero Pipedreamer finishing a staying-on third as the 9-4 favourite.  

Dench also missed out on Smokey Oakey's Lincoln win as she was holidaying in Scotland at the time.  

Part-owner Bryan Agar, who acts as Dench's chauffeur, said: "I should really be with Dame Judi as she is at the Theatre Royal watching Lord Of The Rings.  

"He has got to have this soft ground but where we go next is really up to Mark."

Connections of Pipedreamer reported the market leader failed to handle the rain-softened ground.  

Finalmente (16-1) took the Betfair Henry II Stakes to provide a first Group winner for first-season trainer Simon Callaghan, who took over from his father Neville in February.  

The extended two-miler developed into a messy race turning for home as the runners tracked over to the stands rail with neither runner-up Balkan Knight nor third-placed even-money favourite Royal And Regal getting a clear passage.  

Frankie Dettori and Finalmente, who were always to the fore, were briefly headed by Balkan Knight but battled back to land the spoils by a head and a nose.  

Callaghan's assistant Billy Newnes said: "Simon will be gutted he wasn't here but his flight from Yarmouth was cancelled due to the bad weather.  

"He was fourth in the Gold Cup last year and he'll now go straight back there."

Coral cut the winner into 20-1 from 33s for the stayers' showpiece.  

Champion Hurdle third Punjabi set himself up for a big summer target with victory as the 10-11 favourite in the Betfair SP Handicap.  

Trainer Nicky Henderson has been keen to take advantage of his charge's low rating on the level and under Eddie Ahern he eventually got himself together to collect for the second time within a week. 

"It's unusual for Nicky to run a horse again so quickly but the handicapper gave us no choice and I think the Newmarket race will turn out to be a good one," said assistant trainer Tom Symonds.  

"We'll put him on ice now and then go for the John Smith's Cup."  

Icesolator defied a 5lb penalty and handled the testing ground best of all to run out a ready winner of the Betfair Betting As It Should Be National Stakes.  

Richard Hughes bagged the rail soon after the off and gradually drew clear from halfway aboard the 11-2 chance to provide trainer Richard Hannon with a remarkable eighth win in recent years in the five-furlong dash.  

Hannon said: "I don't know where he will go. I need to look at the conditions of the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, but he might be good enough for the Norfolk."