By Peter Moore at Salisbury Wednesday 12th August 2026

Picture by Peter Moore

Jockey Connor Planas enjoyed his biggest career win aboard Quest For Stars in the Listed Stonehenge Stakes, a year on from almost walking away from the sport.

Planas, who made it a hat-trick on the unbeaten Charlie Appleby-trained juvenile and was riding his 20th winner of the campaign, said: “It’s my biggest winner, my first stakes winner, so I can’t thank Charlie enough for letting me ride him again. It’s my second-best season now, I’ve ridden out my claim, and now I have a Listed winner.”

The 22-year-old admitted a lack of rides took its toll on a challenging season, which resulted in 13 winners, but he stuck at it because of his two-year-old son Theo.

He said: “Without my little boy, I probably wouldn’t be here today. Twelve months ago I was debating whether or not to stop riding because it was getting too hard to get rides, and without him keeping me going I wouldn’t still be riding.

“My partner sent me a video of him on his rocking horse, watching the television and riding out the finish while I was riding. He loves racing and he loves going to the races.”

Planas, who has now ridden 103 winners in his career, added: “I was very close to stopping. I was going some weeks without even a ride, and I was kind of going nowhere. It was only when I spoke to Kieren Fallon, who said about coming into Charlie’s place. Charlie gave me my first winner in the winter, and he really supported me. I’ve now had a lot of winners for him and he’s been a big help.”

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy started of the afternoon with a quick fire double on a glorious afternoon in the Wiltshire very hot sunshine.

Riding the unraced two-year-old Forbidden Fire, Murphy tracked the front pair before taking the lead 2f out to draw away inside the final furlong to score readily by five and a half lengths to keep winning trainer Andrew Balding’s fine record in this race, making it four wins since 2018.

Murphy was soon back in the winners enclosure after steering the David Evans trained Supreme King to victory in the 6f handicap by one and a half lengths.

The Irishman wasn’t the only jockey to complete a quick fire double on the card with Hector Crouch completing that feat with Bold Shout and On Message.

The Clive Cox trained Bold Shout had been off the course for 64 days due to being gelded. The procedure seemed to have helped the three-year-old who won cosily by two and three quarter lengths.

Crouch brought up his double after On Message was always doing enough to score by making all to win by a length from Miss Scott.

Mythical Bird has had a mixed record since winning at Lingfield on her reappearance, but got her head back in front again after landing the lucky last under Rob Hornby who got up on the line with a perfectly judged ride to win by a neck from Almekarem.