Never So Brave took the step up to group class in his stride when coming home strongly to claim the Cornish Orchards Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

Formerly trained by the recently retired Sir Michael Stoute, Never So Brave looked unlucky not to make a winning stable debut at Chester before readily landing the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

Stepping up to Group 2 level on his return to the Berkshire venue, Andrew Balding's four-year-old was sent off the 11/8 second favourite behind Richard Hannon's dual Royal Ascot hero Haatem.

Held up at the rear of the field by David Probert, made steady inroads into the lead of the runaway front-runner Point Lynas before knuckling down well in the closing stages to get on top and score by three quarters of a length under David Probert.

Speaking on Sky Sports Racing, Andrew Balding said: "It was a bit nervy to be honest, because I was pretty confident coming into it that if the horse relaxed, he was good enough to be winning today.

"He relaxed beautifully, but obviously he had to make that move a bit sooner than we would have wanted with Jamie (Spencer) loose on the lead.

"He's a very good horse and I'm thrilled with his progression."

Asked when this race was noted as a possible target, he said: "When I opened up the programme book a couple of days later (after his Royal Ascot win) as we thought that handicaps were out of the question.

"We put him in the Lennox (Goodwood). We were keen to try him at a mile, but I think he's very versatile and he could be effective at anything from six furlongs to up to a mile.

"He was a bit of a handful, and he still is at home. He has to go out on the gallops first and is quite impatient, but he's grown up at the races and he hasn't put a foot wrong today.

"He's a very good racehorse. This has opened up a few more options knowing that he does stay a mile."

More Thunder takes Bunbury Cup thriller

Shortly after watching Never So Brave claim Group 2 honours, owner Saeed Suhail enjoyed his second winner of the afternoon when More Thunder came home well to land the valuable Bunbury Cup at Newmarket.

Trained by William Haggas, the son of Night Of Thunder looked unlucky not to win the Wokingham Stakes at the Royal meeting last time out and was sent off a 6/5 (f) chance to make amends under Tom Marquand.

Stepping up to seven furlongs, Tom Marquand's mount needed every inch of the Newmarket turf to get past last year's winner Aalto, who was sent off a 40/1 shot, and prevail by a nose.

"I need to watch it again, but for me they didn't go fast at all, and he struggled to get momentum," explained Haggas. "I think he's better going fast, and Tom came in and said, 'if you run him over this trip again, they need to go hard'. Six furlongs, he feels, is his best trip."

On if he had contemplated about running in the July Cup later in the afternoon, Haggas said: "We considered it strongly, but we also wanted to go up to seven furlongs at some stage and this was an opportunity to do so.

"That is why he came here, but we will have a crack at a six-furlong stakes race. He just needs pace this horse, but in six-furlong Group races, you'll see in the July Cup, they don't go slow!

"He could run in another handicap, but I think he deserves a shot at a good race now."