Benny the Dip

[9] At the end of the month, Benny the Dip was moved up in class to run in the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot for which he was made 9/4 favourite.

Ridden on this occasion by Walter Swinburn, he ran on strongly in the closing stages to again defeat Desert Story, this time by three-quarters of a length, with the future Group One winners Medaaly and Air Express unplaced.

[10] On his final start of the year, Benny the Dip was made 11/10 favourite for the Group One Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, but could finish only third behind Medaaly and Poteen.

[11] On 26 April he started favourite for the Classic Trial Stakes at Sandown and finished second, failing to concede two pounds to Voyager's Quest, with Silver Patriarch a head behind in third.

[4] He recovered quickly however, and in May he led from the start in the Dante Stakes at York confirming his best two-year-old form by beating Desert Story by two and a half lengths with Medaaly unplaced.

In the straight, Benny the Dip went six lengths clear of his rivals two furlongs from the finish, but was then strongly challenged in the closing stages by Silver Patriarch.

[13] For his next race, Benny the Dip was brought back to ten furlongs for the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, in which he faced top class older horses.

On this occasion however, he was overtaken two furlongs out by the five-year-old Pilsudski, but stayed on well to hold on to second place from the filly Bosra Sham, who had started odds-on favourite.

He produced no top class horses, with the best of his flat runners being the Group placed Charley Bates and the Irish Listed race winner Senor Benny.