We had our biggest winner of the year at York last week when Mount Athos won the Melrose Handicap. Known as the Ebor for ‘three-year-olds’, it had been the target ever since he had finished fifth at Goodwood and the feeling that we had then that the merit of that run was rather understated by having been up with the pace in a race in which the four that beat him were all ridden more patiently than he was proved to be correct. The step up to a mile and three quarters was always going to suit him but even so it was hard not to be impressed by the manner in which he travelled through the race, clearly going best before being pushed into the lead with three furlongs to run. There was a scary moment when he dived to his right inside the last furlong but he was soon back on an even keel and once straightened up came home strongly. The handicapper has raised him to 95 after that, which was probably to be expected given how well the field were strung out, and that means he is likely to run next in the Mallard Handicap at Doncaster over more or less the same trip. The only other option in the next couple of weeks is the Old Borough Cup at Haydock and that might just come a few days too soon.

We thought we might have added a Group 1 just for good measure at Deauville on Sunday when Irish Field, who we are looking after at the minute, went for the Prix Morny but though he ran respectably on terms of his previous form he could manage only fifth behind David Simcock’s Dream Ahead. The winner might well head for the Middle Park next, which is probably where are going too, so he has some work to do to turn around the form, but on the plus side we will know much more about him then than we do at present, having not been with been with us long, and there’s little doubt from what we’ve seen that he’s a high-class juvenile.

Gobama is also worth another mention in passing as she also ran very well at York. Unlucky to bump into one that had the run of the race more than she did, and was leniently treated on the form of her Kempton maiden win, Gobama almost certainly turned in a career best despite events conspiring against her and she deserves a crack at a Listed trace now in order to get her some Black type. The Rosemary at Ascot in September looks the ideal target, and the fact that she might be a couple of pounds out of the weights won’t be a problem.