Sir Michael Stoute’s Passenger returned to form with a win in the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor on Saturday.

An eye-catching winner of the Wood Ditton Stakes on debut, Passenger finished third behind The Foxes in the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York on his second start. In the Epsom Derby, the son of Ulysses raced keenly and faded in the closing stages to finish twelfth of fourteen runners. 

He faced older horses for the first time at Windsor and was forced to duel with the experienced West Wind Blows in the final furlong, coming out on top by a short head. The pair drew well clear of the rest of the field, with Burdett Road finished a further four-and-a- half lengths back in third.

"Things didn't go right for him at the start of the summer but he's learning his way and he picked up nicely," said jockey Richard Kingscote.

"I'd sat on him a couple of times at home, he's really done well and he's moving beautifully. The boss just wanted to freshen him up after it all went wrong at the Derby.

"I lit him up from the gate as I wanted to get the first half right there, the boss said 'just make sure you get the second half right today!' and we did.

"He's been off a while, he'd done a nice bit of work but a positive experience will have done him the world of good, the second is not a slouch either."

The success marked a first victory for trainer Sir Michael Stoute in August.