Mark Johnston admits he has to play a patient game with Love Dreams, who took his 100 per cent record to two in impressive fashion in the EBF Stallions Spindrifter Conditions Stakes at Pontefract.
The Dream Ahead colt made all on his debut at Hamilton just 12 days earlier and repeated the trick with consummate ease against three rivals.
Silvestre de Sousa had Love Dreams bowling out nicely in front and the 8-11 favourite was never in any danger as he pulled five lengths clear of Bolt Phantom. What concerns Johnston is that Love Dreams is still inexperienced as he has not had to race properly yet.
"He's still very green and needs a bit of experience. He's a slow learner and has just had two small-field races without really getting involved with another horse," said the Middleham trainer.
"There's little for him coming up. At the Newmarket July meeting there's either maidens or Group Twos. I wouldn't say it was impossible for him to go there, but I think it would be a tall order. I'm not sure how much he's learned today.
"He's a beautiful horse in the making, but he's still very inexperienced."
Johnston and De Sousa completed a double when Highly Sprung (100-30) got up on the line to beat Rococoa by a head in the Wilfred Underwood Memorial Classified Stakes.
"That wasn't the way we expected him to run. That was out of character. He hasn't run like that before," said Johnston.
"He's usually up there and not quite getting home, but it sounds like they went very fast early on."
Gran Canaria Queen (8-1) bounced back to form after several disappointing efforts to win the EBF Stallions Alan Mercer 60th Birthday Fillies' Handicap for the second year running.
Tim Easterby's seven-year-old pounced in the final furlong to land the prize by three-quarters of a length from Dutch Mist in the hands of 5lb claimer Rachel Richardson.
"We've been struggling this season. She's just been flat all year. I don't know why," said Easterby.
"She was drawn on the stands side at York last time and didn't run her race. She had been high in the handicap, though, and she does like the sun on her back."
Emily Bullock celebrated her 25th birthday by riding her first winner on Belle Travers (10-1) for Richard Fahey in the Audrey Martin Memorial Ladies' Handicap.
Belle Travers, winning for the first time since her debut in October 2014, took over from the pacesetting Duke Of Yorkshire just under two furlongs out and went on to score by four and a half lengths from Obboorr.
"It's a great feeling and on my birthday as well," said the winning rider.
"I've had a few rides spaced out over the last few years and I've been at Mr Fahey's for two and a half years."
Alquffaal (9-2) appreciated the step up to a mile and a half when opening his account in the Wayne Conway Memorial Handicap.
Unplaced in three maidens, the Roger Varian-trained three-year-old asserted in the closing stages to score by three and a half lengths from Zubeida.
His rider Paul Hanagan said: "He's done it really well. They went a nice pace. He settled lovely and the further they went the better he went.
"It's taken time for the penny to drop with him and he's been slow to come to hand, but hopefully that will have done him the world of good."
Ruth Carr's Oriental Splendour (15-2) got off the mark at the 15th attempt when coming with a storming run on the outside to take the Rose Beattie - A Lifetime In Racing Handicap under James Sullivan.
Carr said: "He was a bit unlucky here two runs ago and then at Nottingham he bumped into one (Rainbow Orse).
"He's done everything right and hopefully he's got his confidence now and can go on from that."
The Alan Brown-trained Shouranour (25-1) benefited from wearing blinkers for the first-time when taking the Les Ward Memorial Handicap by a neck from the strong-finishing Trinity Star under 5lb claimer Josh Doyle.