Four-year-old Phoenix Tower (Chester House - Bionic, by Zafonic) gave trainer Henry Cecil and Khalid Abdulla a homebred Group Three double when winning the Group Three Earl of Sefton Stakes over 9f at Newmarket on Thursday, a race won last year by Manduro.

Tom Queally struggled to find a gap on the winner, but as Traffic Guard went for home a furlong out Phoenix Tower picked up impressively and got up to beat Jane Chapple-Hyam's runner by a head. Pipedreamer was a neck down in third and Cecil's other runner, Multidimensional, was fourth.

Phoenix Tower has been off the track for almost a year, but he showed smart form, winning a Newbury handicap by an effortless four lengths and taking a Windsor Conditions event last May. Today was only his fourth start, and further improvement can be expected.

Cecil said after the race: "I was very pleased with him as he has been off since last May with a hairline fracture of his pelvis. He has always been a good horse and is unbeaten but has had his problems.

"We'll see how he is, but he stays further and I think a mile and a quarter suits him."

Of Multidimensional, the Warren Place handler added: "The pace was wrong for him. He was also on the outside and didn't settle. I think he will be OK next time now he has had his run."