Dubai: Big-race trainer John Gosden’s trophy-accumulating season continued at an unrelenting pace as he saddled Shalaa to score a comfortably victory in the Group 2 July Stakes, his second victory on the opening day of the three-day July Festival meeting at Newmarket in England.

Already a winner of both the English and Irish Derbys, Gosden picked up an 11th Group race prize, following the two-year-old son of Invincible Spirit’s length victory over Godolphin’s fancied Steady Pace, despite wandering across the track in the closing stages of the six furlong contest.

The winner was hard-ridden by Robert Havlin to deny James Doyle’s Steady Pace, in a race that is the oldest surviving event for two-year-olds in the British calender, having been established in 1786.

Steady Pace, who is trained by five-time British Champion handler Saeed Bin Surour, also drifted under pressure as he chased Shalaa to the line.

Discussing the future plans for his juvenile, Gosden told Racing UK: “The Richmond Stakes is next. We avoided the Coventry because he showed a nervous nature last time at Newmarket.

“We’ve given him every chance and I’ve brought him down here a few times to school and he’s learning. He’s always been our fastest two-year-old.”

Meanwhile, British bookmakers William Hill shortened the colt’s odds for next year’s 2,000 Guineas (G1) to 20/1 (from 25) behind the favourite Buratino, an impressive winner of the Coventry Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot, who is trained by Mark Johnston for Godolphin.

Earlier in the afternoon, Gosden sent out Mr. Singh to land the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy, once again denying Godolphin victory, with Future Empire a well-beaten second. Tommy Docc was third.

The performance has earned the winner a shot at the Doncaster St. Leger, the final Classic of the British racing season on September 15.

Shaikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum’s Derby third, Storm The Stars, is the 11/2 ante-post favourite. Sky Bet cut the winner to 8/1 (from 14).

Gosden was full of praise for the three-year-old son of High Chaparral and said: “He’s a lovely horse. He’s still growing and he’s beginning to fill out.

“He got into a muddle at Goodwood, but the winner (Storm The Stars) went on to be third in the Derby and he ran a lovely race at Royal Ascot. He stays well and he changes gears.

“We’ll go straight to the St Leger with him, he’ll love it at Doncaster. Masked Marvel came here and did the same before winning the Leger [in 2011].

“It’s the right route for this horse. I’m not saying he’s a Masked Marvel, but he’s a very nice horse.

“He’s a horse about next year, really, so [we’ll give him] one run at Doncaster and then put him away.”

Resonant carried the colours of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, to victory in the Unibet Handicap over 2,000 metres.

Ridden by Godolphin pilot William Buick, the son of Cape Cross scored by 3 3/4 lengths from the Richard Hannon Jr-trained Gibeon.

Big Orange delivered the shock of the day when beating a high-class field to win the Group 2 Prince of Wales’s Arqana Racing Club Stakes under Jamie Spencer.