MUTEELA further enhanced her reputation with a dominant front-running display in the Happy Birthday Dadie Oughtred Stakes at Beverley.

Mark Johnston’s filly is well-related as a half-sister to the yard’s former Group Onewinning juvenile Awzaan and showed plenty of courage to score by a nose on her racecourse introduction at Lingfield back in October.

Smartly away from her plum draw in stall one as she made her handicap debut and seasonal reappearance on the Westwood, the 2-1 favourite was soon dictating affairs and only Lincoln looked a serious threat once they straightened up for home.

However, Muteela’s class edge became evident from the two-furlong marker as she found another gear in the hands of Paul Hanagan, sealing the deal by four lengths without being asked for maximum effort.

The Middleham maestro clinched the seven-furlong prize with another Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned runner in Shebebi a year ago, a horse who went on to clinch the lucrative Silver Bowl at Haydock.

Johnston’s son and assistant, Charlie, said: ‘‘It’s a family we know very well so she’s got a lot to live up to on pedigree.

‘‘We’ve given her a lot of time to come to herself and this was the day we’d learn how good she was.

‘‘Judging by that, she’s a bit better than a mark of 78.

‘‘We’ll probably stay at between seven (furlongs) and a mile now.’’ Muteela’s triumph was the second leg of a double on the afternoon for Hanagan and the first part of a brace for Johnston.

The 2010 and 2011 champion jockey had earlier steered the Richard Fahey-trained newcomer Bond’s Girl (4-1) to a debut victory in the Beverley Minster Maiden Auction Fillies’ Stakes.