Lady Of Spain produced the standout performance of the week as she maintained her unbeaten record in fine style in the Listed Prix Petite Etoile at Deauville.
Lining up on the back of a handicap success at Southwell, Roger Varian’s filly cruised through the extended nine-furlong contest before stretching clear to win by three lengths.
The daughter of Phoenix Of Spain, who started her career with a pair of Wolverhampton novice wins during last season’s All-Weather Championships, has been given a 13lb rise in the ratings to 103.
Deauville also hosted the Listed Prix Arcangues over an extended 12 furlongs, in which talented stayer Presage Nocturne coped with the drop back in trip to score for Alessandro & Guiseppe Botti.
Cajetan has entered the Sprint Final picture after taking a six-furlong handicap at Newcastle by five lengths, a performance which has earned him a 10lb hike to 92. Jack Channon’s three-year-old has now won three of his four starts on the all-weather.
The Sprint Final could be a long-term objective for Rod Millman’s Amazonian Dream following his narrow success in class two company at Kempton Park. Up 2lb to 91, the five-year-old had previously taken a six-furlong handicap at Southwell.
Millman said: “It was a very gutsy performance from Amazonian Dream. We had not really tried him on the all-weather before this year and that was his second win from four starts.
“He is a nice horse, who has had a lot of problems. He broke his hip as a two-year-old and it has taken him a long time to get going again, but he is talented.
“The original plan was to put him away for the winter but, seeing as he has handled the all-weather so well, we will keep him on the go.
“All being well, he will go up to Newcastle on New Year’s Day, just to see how he handles the track. Then we will work our way through the season until Good Friday.”
Richard Hannon enjoyed a good week, with last season’s Mile hero Talis Evolvere registering his first success since Finals Day in a seven-furlong handicap at Chelmsford.
Hannon looks to have another contender in the same division after Local Hero comfortably landed a mile handicap at Kempton Park, taking his all-weather record to three wins and two places from six starts.
Stable-mate Rebel Empire is one of the biggest handicap movers of the week, having gone up 9lb to 74 for a near four-length victory in a six-furlong handicap at Southwell.
There were a couple of notable performances in Ireland at Dundalk, with Joseph O’Brien’s San Andreas annexing an extended 10-furlong handicap. The eight-year-old has lined up twice before on Finals Day, including going down by a nose in the 2022 Mile.
Apache Outlaw looks a player in the Sprint category for Ado McGuinness after winning his two most recent starts. The four-year-old was an unlucky seventh at Lingfield Park’s Vase fixture last season.
As the New Year approaches, Hector Crouch leads Luke Morris by one in the All-Weather Champion Jockey standings, while James Owen and John & Thady Gosden are tied at the top of the All-Weather Champion Trainer leaderboard.
