THE two-day Salisbury Splendour meeting for 2016 was a major success as the British summer finally sprung into life at the Netherhampton Road track.

Besides the high quality racing on show, young racegoers were treated to free children's entertainment on the family themed race days as Salisbury racecourse put on a terrific show.

The meeting opened with a smart performance from Owen Burrows' Akhlaaq, who looked very green on racecourse debut, before thundering home to land the British Stallion Studs EBF Molson Coors Maiden by a neck under former champion jockey Paul Hanagan. Akhlaaq holds some lofty entries, including in the Group 1 Middle Park & Dewhurst stakes respectively and it would be no surprise to see this colt progress to the top-level, given the manner of his victory on Wednesday.

Paul Hanagan was back in the winners' enclosure an hour later as the odds-on Takatul made light work of his three rivals to land the Sam FM Pembroke Cup for Charles Hills. The colt remains unbeaten in three starts and is another for Sheikh Hamdam Al Maktoum who could progress to the next level.

Whilst Paul Hanagan dominated the opening day in the saddle, it was trainer Henry Candy who joined in with a training double of his own. The first leg came in the day's feature race, the Listed EBF Stallions Upavon Fillies' Stakes, as Chain of Daisies (4th in last year's race) made all under Fergus Sweeney, and never saw another rival, breaking the course record in the process, scoring by a length from Ed Dunlop's Sagaciously. It was a gutsy performance by Candy's charge who looked to have bounced right back to form on Wednesday; she could now step up to Group 3 level.

Exoplanet Blue completed Henry Candy's double in comfortable fashion under George Wood in the Littleton Stud Racing Excellence Apprentice Handicap as the horse finally rewarded his trainers' faith; Candy can't believe Exoplanet Blue hasn't got more wins to his name but hopes this marks a turning point.

Elsewhere, on Wednesday's card Clive Cox started the meeting as he meant to go on by saddling Pine Ridge to win the S H Jones Wines Handicap under Adam Kirby before Ian Williams' So Celebre took out the Champagne Joseph Perrier Handicap for jockey James Doyle.

Day two began with a bang for last year's Salisbury champion jockey Pat Dobbs who won both divisions of the Toteplacepot Six Places in Six Races Maiden Auction Stakes aboard Gravity Wave (Sylvester Kirk) and Seafarer (Marcus Tregoning) respectively. Remarkably, this was the first time Dobbs had tasted victory at Salisbury this season, could this be the start of a dramatic late bid for the Salisbury jockey's title again?

Following Dobbs' double, it was Jim Crowley who landed the Totequadpot Available At All UK Meetings handicap aboard favourite Mia Tesoro for Newmarket trainer Charlie Fellowes before Charles Bishop guided the heavily odds-on Tigerwolf to victory in the Totepool Live Info Download The App Maiden for local trainer Mick Channon.

The pattern of winning favourites continued into the competitive EBF Breeders' Series Fillies' Handicap as Sir Michael Stoute's improving filly Dubka held off the strong, late challenge of Henry Candy's Perestroika. Dubka is now unbeaten in three starts since finishing 6th at Salisbury on debut earlier in the season and certainly looks on an upward curve for strong connections.

The feature race of the two day meeting, The Group 3 Totepool Sovereign Stakes was hit by two late withdrawals in the shape of Sovereign Debt and Tullius, but this did not detract from what was another brilliant race. The odds-on favourite, Massaat, failed to fire and faded tamely after cutting out the early running, paving the way for fellow three year-old Zonderland to land an assertive victory for Clive Cox and Oisin Murphy. This was Cox's second win in the race in as many years following Kodi Bear's success last season and he was delighted with the way his charge has bounced back from a disappointing run in France last time out. Zonderland's victory on Thursday has now entered him into the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes picture but a more immediate target could be Goodwood's Celebration Mile at the end of this month. Either way Clive Cox is delighted to have him as part of his blossoming team of horses.

Oisin Murphy followed up his success in the feature with a win in the Bill Garnett Memorial Fillies' Handicap aboard Brendan Powell's Dynamic Girl who found a late gap up the inside rail to score from favourite Babyfact.

The Splendour meeting was rounded out by an impressive display in the Kevin Hall & Pat Boakes Memorial by Ralph Beckett's Alyssa who led from pillar to post over the one mile six furlong trip under Silvestre De Sousa, going on to win by two and a half lengths. Alyssa is now unbeaten in three runs and is yet another Splendour winner who could be set for higher honours in the future.

Salisbury race again on Friday 19th August where it hosts Killer Queen after racing; on the track, the Listed EBF Stonehenge Stakes is the feature race.