Debut win at Royal Ascot in 2022 had not been added to since.
Holloway Boy won the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Superior Mile at Haydock to record his first victory since making a great Royal Ascot debut more than two years ago.
The four-year-old son of Karl Burke started his career with a bang, defeating an unexpected 40-1 favorite to win the 2022 Chesham Stakes. Although he has since been placed in excellent company, he has not been able to increase his total.
Reentering the Group Three competition, Holloway Boy was a 7-2 bet to end a 12-race losing skid after finishing on the podium in lucrative handicaps at Sandown, Goodwood, and York this summer. William Buick drove the horse strongly for most of the race.
Prague, the 100-30 favorite, was challenged from the back of the race and had to deal with traffic along the way.
The runner of Dylan Cunha started late, but after making his move to the lead a furlong out, Holloway Boy had enough left in his arsenal to hold out the market leader by half a length, with Witch Hunter following closely in third place.
He's always been a pretty brilliant horse, but he does want to keep a little bit for himself. Burke remarked, "You could see he was pulling up a little in the last half-furlong there."
"In large handicaps, he has been running pretty well. I told William today, 'if you're travelling well three down, go and let him have his head in front.' I'm so delighted he didn't listen because he's been traveling nicely and then petering out inside the last half-furlong and not quite getting there.
"William entered and declared that he was a horse in need of something to shoot for. Even if he doesn't steal tools, he is a sloth at home.
"We tried big-money handicapping, but that didn't exactly work out, so we looked for races like this one, and it worked out.
"To be honest, I have no idea where we're going to go next. He is the kind of horse you can take anywhere, and since he will run on any surface, I may consider taking him overseas to Dubai or Saudi Arabia."
