A vivid image from the summer was the Queen's evident delight when Free Agent landed the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, her first winner at the venue for nine years. Her joy was prolonged, since Free Agent kick-started a two-month spell when the royal silks were carried to victory by some promising juveniles.

The Queen is too well versed in the rhythms of Flat racing to be surprised by what happened next. Free Agent suffered a minor setback that ruled him out for the season. He has been sent back to Sandringham with Full Toss, who impressed at Chester before chasing home Taameer in smart company at Newbury; the third home, Palavicini, boosted the form when winning at the Berkshire course yesterday.

Golden Stream, for her part, found the company too hot in the Fillies' Mile, but the Queen's resources are far from exhausted. Enticement, a daughter of Montjeu, landed a Nottingham maiden on her debut last week, while Four Winds turns out in the group three Deloitte Autumn Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

Jamie Spencer, who rides Four Winds, speaks favourably of the horse trained in Newmarket by Michael Bell. The son of Red Ransom caught the eye from the moment he started doing fast work, but now comes the acid test. “I do like him,” Spencer said. “He does everything right, and he is big and rangy. Hopefully, he is something to look forward to next season.”

Spencer partnered Four Winds in a blowout with “an ordinary older horse” at Newmarket on Wednesday. “It's hard to know if he has improved since he won recently at Sandown,” he said. “You don't really find out until they go to the races. It would be nice to have a good one for Her Majesty but I'm kind of nervous about riding him. You don't want the bubble to burst.”

Connections are entitled to be optimistic, even though the Ascot race has proved the springboard for some talented young horses, among them Nashwan and Nayef, both sons of the Queen's former racemare, Height Of Fashion. Spencer is fortified by Four Winds' cosy Sandown dismissal of Ra Junior, aboard whom he subsequently ran away with a Newmarket maiden last week.

Further afield, Conduit could make a return to action in the Breeders' Cup Turf later this month. Connections of the impressive St Leger winner had intended to rough off the colt, but his wellbeing has demanded a possible rethink. “We are just loosening Conduit up at present and seeing how he is,” Sir Michael Stoute, his trainer, said.

“There is nothing for him in Europe, but beyond that, we will have to see.” The 12-furlong Turf, at Santa Anita racecourse in California, is an attractive option. The likely fast surface would suit Conduit and this year's renewal may be less demanding than normal, with Zarkava out of the picture and Ballydoyle eyeing the Classic for Duke Of Marmalade.

At Newbury, the Roger Charlton-trained Club Tahiti earned 1,000 Guineas quotes after winning a division of the two-year-old maiden by four lengths on her debut. More refreshing still was the sight of Mick Channon's low-key first appearance at the races since he suffered horrific injuries in a car crash six weeks ago.

The trainer and former England footballer, who looked frail but walked unaided, slipped away quietly after watching his Lasso The Moon finish second to Palavicini. It will be a long road back to full health for Channon, who required surgery to a fractured jaw, in addition to breaking ribs and an arm, and puncturing a lung.