Joseph Tuite grabs his first Group win
The two-year-old filly had looked exposed in this field but she put her experience to good use and held off all her late challengers
MADAM DANCEALOT led her rivals a merry dance in the Bathwick Tyres Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes at Salisbury.
The Joseph Tuite-trained filly had won just one of her previous five starts and having seemingly been exposed at Pattern level in both the Queen Mary and Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot, she was a 10-1 shot for her latest Group-race assignment.
The daughter of Sir Prancealot was a shade slowly away in the hands of Tom Queally, but soon nudged towards the front end and was in a clear lead against the rail as the field straightened up.
The challengers were queuing up two furlongs down, but Madam Dancealot refused to bend and galloped all the way to the line for an authoritative success.
David Simcock's recent Brighton scorer Mystic Dawn was best of the rest in second, with her stable companion Pellucid coming from a long way back to grab third.
Queally said: "She's very straightforward and she hasn't had an easy time. I think that's why it's an extra special training performance - to keep her on the go and get her to peak on a day like today.
"She's very tough and I think it was a blessing in disguise she missed the break because I was able to gradually get there.
"I kicked soon enough. We said beforehand we were going to make her experience count and thankfully it told when it really mattered.
"The more I dug deep, the more I seemed to get.
"It's nice she's won this, but I wouldn't be surprised if she improved another little bit."
Tuite said: "It's happy days. It's very nice to get my first Group winner at my favourite track - it means a hell of a lot to me.
"I planned this for a long time, to come here for this race.
"She met a very good horse last time of William Muir's (Phijee) and he told me that he thought that was a Group horse and the pair came clear of everything else, so it was a solid run.
"She's in the sales at Doncaster next week. Whether she keeps that appointment, I'll have to talk to the owner, who is away in Italy on holiday at the moment."
He went on: "This is fantastic, as I've not been having the greatest of years. They've been running well, but winning races like this are the ones you want.
"She's done it nicely. We went out with a plan and once she got into a rhythm and was rolling, I said to Tom 'go for home early'.
"She wants seven furlongs, but the stiff six at Salisbury suited her."
The Lambourn-based trainer revealed how he bought Madam Dancealot at the Tattersalls Ireland Sale at Ascot in early April after she went through the ring unsold.
"I'd left the Ascot sales and one of my owners rang me to come back," said Tuite.
"Roger Callaghan (of Tally-Ho Stud) told me to take this horse home, as they didn't get a bid for her in the ring.
"I did a deal with Roger in the car park and it's the best deal I've done all year.
"Everything I've bought from Roger has been good, but not many have been as good as this."
