California Chrome reeled in the leader by the turn, when he went right-handed on a racecourse for the first time in his life and appeared to cope well.
Making laps on a racecourse set on a small hill with no lift lines or big resort distractions is a time-tested way to build a ski champion.
Meanwhile, Sam Thomas partnered Denman, his mount for next month's Gold Cup, in a racecourse gallop on Sunday morning with three other Paul Festival-trained Cheltenham Festival possibles, after which Nicholls confirmed in his website column that the horse has undergone surgery to improve his breathing since finishing third in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury last November.
The horse, owned by a syndicate in which former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has a share, was given a racecourse gallop on Wednesday.
That was just his third appearance on a racecourse, making him one of the least experienced in this field but he looked a thorough professional at York, settling nicely behind the pace before going through with his effort when asked.
See, passing on a racecourse only happens on the inside lane (at least as long as the car you're trying to get by is hugging the faster, outside part of the straight).
Mills, a European Cup winner as a player with Nottingham Forest, has left Conference side Gateshead to take over at the Racecourse on a one-year rolling contract.
Among his admirers are thousand of girls and boys, ten years and upward, all over the country, who have never been on a racecourse but have seen him on TV and read about him, and who write him fan letters and send him ribbons in his stable colors to decorate his mane and tail, and cakes on his birthday.
In 1891, a racecourse was opened on farmland at Gatwick.
A racecourse development proposed on land near Boothstown was the subject of a public inquiry and rejected by the local council after a sustained campaign by local councillors.
