Newmarket festival: A pair of earplugs came to the rescue of Bandari's frayed nerves in order to help him land the big race on the second day of Newmarket's July meeting yesterday.

Bandari has time and again proved himself to be a worrier on the track, often sweating up badly before the start of a big race and putting more energy into the preliminaries than the race itself.

The five-year-old, who was bought by Hamdan Al Maktoum after winning the Lingfield Derby Trial two years ago, has always had the ability, though.

His victory in the Group Two Princess Of Wales's Stakes was the 10th of his career and his fifth in a Pattern race.

"We put the earplugs in two hours before the race and they obviously had the right effect because he was quiet as a mouse in the parade and went to post without turning a hair," said winning rider Richard Hills. "I went to take them out at the start and when he heard the noise he went whoosh, whipped around, and I went out the back door.

"All of a sudden you could tell he was ready to go, and I definitely think we ought to use them again. It was amazing."

Bandari (12 to 1) dug deep to out battle 11 to 8 favourite Sulamani and in the process put the smile back on trainer Mark Johnston's face.

The Middleham handler suffered the disappointment of seeing his star filly Attraction lose her unbeaten record 24 hours earlier in the Falmouth Stakes.

But Johnston's stable is never out of the winners for long and Bandari came with a strong late surge to catch Sulamani up the hill and score by half a length.

The Frankie Dettori-ridden Sulamani had travelled well at the rear of the eight-runner field throughout but hung in the closing stages as he looked to be feeling the ground - dried out by a fierce wind blowing across the course.

High Accolade kept on to finish a further two and a half lengths away in third, with the well-backed Magistretti a never-nearer fourth.

Bandari is now set to bid for the Group One success that has eluded him thus far in his career when he goes for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot on July 24th.

"I would hate him to be a nearly horse who can't find a place at stud. He has real ability and as he has beaten good horses today. He is certainly entitled to take his chance there," said Johnston.

"We just need that all-important Group One for him now and hopefully it will be this season.

"He can get very tight in the preliminaries at times and quite often we have felt he has run his race before he has got in the stalls. But he clearly has great ability."

Runner-up Sulamani remains on course for a possible re-match with the winner at Ascot.

Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said: "The ground was too firm, it does not suit him. If it was soft he would have run much better. He's entered in the King George with Papineau and Doyen, but we'll have to see."

Captain Hurricane, backed from 16 to 1 into 10 to 1 on-course, landed a Betfair gamble to take the day's other Group Two contest, the TNT July Stakes.

Captain Hurricane can be backed at 50 to 1 with layers Cashmans to take next year's 2,000 Guineas.