The Bella Nouf Partnership

David Howden's 4-year-old filly Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion--Bella Nouf {GB}, by Dansili {GB}), last of eight in Epsom's G3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes earlier this month, halted a six-race losing streak with a dominant performance in Wednesday's G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot. Last term's Listed Pretty Polly Stakes victrix kept wide of the peloton initially and drifted inwards to assume control after the opening exchanges. Holding sway thereafter, she was nudged along in early straight to poach a decisive buffer approaching the final furlong and kept on...

Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion--Bella Nouf {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) improved off a debut fourth at Newmarket's July venue with wide-margin wins in one-mile heats at Lingfield and Chelmsford last term and opened this campaign with a decisive score on sophomore return at Kempton last month. Back on the turf for the first time since that first-up effort, she rewarded the race sponsor David Howden with a first win of the Guineas meet and provided the Gosden stable with a seventh triumph in this usually informative G1 Oaks pointer. The...