Luca Cumani has plenty to look forward to after making a belated winning start to the season as Derby entry Trumpet Sound showed his quality at Brighton.
The 11-8 favourite looked under serious threat as the Queen's Purple Heather mounted a challenge approaching the final furlong of the Darley Stallions Support The Millennium Appeal Maiden Stakes.
But Trumpet Sound, ridden by John Reid, was not going to be denied and stayed on well to repel Purple Heather by three-parts of a length.
The winner, a son of Theatrical, remains a possible for the Vodafone Derby at Epsom next month.
'There's always hope but he's still very green and he needs to learn a lot,' said Cumani.
'But certainly on his breeding there should be no problem about him staying one and a half miles.'
Trumpet Sound will be further tested in either Goodwood's Predominate Stakes or the Glasgow Stakes at York.
'We'll see how he comes on in his next race before we begin to think about the Derby,' said Cumani.
Trumpet Sound was providing the Newmarket trainer with his first winner for 187 days but he has had few runners this season.
'The season has a long way to go and there's no point rushing them. But the ground has been bad and the weather hasn't been very good anyway,' said Cumani who confirmed that Gerald Mosse will ride Chez Cherie for him in the Sagitta 1000 Guineas.
Cumani quickly followed up with Noblenor in the last race at Redcar.
Jimmy Fortune will miss the Lingfield Derby Trial meeting and the first two days of York's Dante meeting after being banned for four days (May 13-15-16-17) for careless riding.
Fortune was found to be in breach of the rules when riding Blundell Lane to victory on the Epsom Trainers' Association Supports The Millennium Appeal Handicap.
His mount badly hampered the heavily-backed favourite Mister Tricky and Frederick James before going on to beat Ivory Dawn by three lengths.
Blakeshall Boy, the 9-4 favourite, led well inside the final furlong of the Pertemps Supports The Millennium Appeal Maiden Stakes to defeat the front-running Repeat Peformance by three-quarters of a length. The Queen's Sandal was four lengths back in third.
Paul Doe was none the worse for being unseated from Cedar Jeneva at the halfway stage.
William Haggas is in a rich vein of form and he struck again when Rendition outpointed Omniheat in the Ladbrokes Sussex Supports The Millennium Appeal Classified Stakes.
