Previously a winner at two and three, AUDIENCE (Iffraaj) truly announced himself with a dominant victory in the Group 3 Criterion Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday. The John & Thady Gosden-trained gelding was last seen dotting up off an official rating of 99 at Leicester in October and confirmed the impression of that victory with another step forward here on his seasonal bow. Content to allow Audience to bowl along in front, Rab Havlin was still travelling best coming down to the final furlong and the pair put the contest to bed with a decisive burst of speed against the far rail on the run to the line. He is the second winner of this contest for Cheveley Park Stud, who also won the 1994 renewal with Hill Hopper.
Audience is a son of the Listed City Plate Stakes winner Ladyship (Oasis Dream), who is herself out of the Gr.1 Lockinge & Sun Chariot heroine Peeress (Pivotal). Ladyship has a yearling filly by Mehmas and is back in foal to Iffraaj.