O'Sullivan's Aashiq shows heart of a champion on his return to competition

In other circumstances, the Paul O'Sullivan-trained Aashiq might well have run half an hour earlier yesterday in the Classic Mile rather than the Class Three Dyer Handicap (1,400m), but the trainer was pleased about the way things fell.

'I think it's a good year to not have a Derby horse frankly after watching the way Beauty Flash won,' O'Sullivan smiled, remembering the day last June when Aashiq locked horns with the Derby favourite and came off second best, but was far from disgraced. 'The way he looked winning today, I wouldn't want to bump into him.'

Aashiq (Jeff Lloyd) had established himself as a young horse on the rise before hitting a speed bump with a heart irregularity when he resumed for the season in October and O'Sullivan was forced to turn him out.

'My vet, Michael Hurley, said we would just take our time, do everything by the book and try to make sure that when Aashiq did come back, that we got it right,' O'Sullivan said.

'We've had the cardiograph on him at nights and done it all slowly and full credit to my owners because they've been patient enough to wait for the horse and they've got the right reward today. It's great to see the horse back - one of those wins that is more a relief than a thrill.'

A son of Viking Ruler, Aashiq has now won twice over 1,400m from seven starts, and was allowed to coast in front before spreading the field out over a long way in the final stages.