RICHARD Kingscote always considered Regal Beauty had more to offer and his judgement was justified when the five-year-old, boosted with the first time use of a visor, took Salisbury's main race of the season yesterday.

Kingscote had a boosting morning call from trainer Sir Michael Stoute while on route to the track for the 21st running of the course's richest race.

"He was more like the horse the yard knows," he said. "Sir Michael gave me a lot of confidence in him this morning and he had worked well in the headgear. He has had a good level of form over the years and I thought there was more in him when I had ridden him but it just wasn't there. He felt lovely on the top of the ground conditions and the way he travelled with the headgear was great."

There was drama at the start when Beat Le Bon sluggishly walked out of the stalls, losing some eight lengths in the process, but ran on eye-catchingly well to finish second, though in truth Marie's Diamond had set a relatively modest pace which enabled him to gradually make up the deficit.

Kingscote, who for a few seconds looked trapped on the rails at halfway, calmly extricated Regal Beauty three out and making his challenge two out through the middle of the field, drew clear in the final furlong.

Such was the ground, which came in for praise from jockeys and trainers given the furnace conditions, that Regal Beauty finished only 300th of a second outside the one mile record.

There was further drama in the seven furlong handicap when Kodiak Pride, who had led throughout, looked as though he was about to notch his second victory in five days, but the weight cloth fell off the horse, partnered by former top Norwegian amateur Kala Ingolfsland, in the final furlong. Disqualification was inevitable.

Andrew Balding's yard has also been in blistering form and fresh from collecting a valuable handicap at Ascot yesterday, took the seven furlong conditions race with Happy Power who either led or disputed the lead until two out when he drew away to win by three and a half lengths.

The Kingsclere trainer, who made no secret of his confidence beforehand, described the four-year-old as "a smashing horse" who had been unlucky in his three previous runs this season.

"This will have instilled some confidence in him," he said, declaring another seven furlong race at Goodwood's bank holiday meeting as his next objective.

Minzaal gave notice of great things to come when hacking up in the opening juveniles race. Fancied on his debut at Ascot where he lost ground at the start and was then denied a clear run, the two-year-old was again held up towards the back of the field but eased his way into position on the outside two out and breezed away with any amount in hand to provide the first leg of a double for Owen Burrows who took the one mile handicap with Itkaann.

With stable jockey Adam Kirby on duty in France, Hector Crouch took the ride on Konchek who enhanced trainer Clive Cox's record at the course. The handicapper, who has been shuffled between five and six furlong sprints, will take in the Portland at Doncaster's St Leger meeting.