THE Middle Park Stakes for colts saw Perfect Power (114) double his Group 1 tally having previously won the Prix Morny at Deauville in style.

The overall race time for the fillies’ race was quicker as they were faster through the opening furlong so, considering the first three colts home occupied the final three places early and had to cover extra ground to reach a challenging position, they are worthy of upgrading.

Stall position was against the winner so, along with Jamie Spencer aboard Castle Star, Christophe Soumillon made a move towards the rail and the Belgian eventually mounted his effort on a similar racing line to the direct route from the stalls to the winning line.

Won cosily

The son of Ardad quickened sharply once called upon with a 10.92 second furlong forming part of a finishing effort of 33.81 seconds for the final three furlongs. The visual impression was Richard Fahey’s colt won a shade cosily going clear of his field.

Jamie Spencer looked keen to make his challenge as close to the rail as possible on Castle Star (112) before the commotion of the race took him towards the outside and he only secured a gap to exploit in the last 100 yards.

Once in the clear, the son of Starspangledbanner produced a determined finish that was almost the equal of the winner, stopping the clock for the concluding three furlongs at 33.86 seconds courtesy of a 10.90 second fifth furlong.

Better draw

This trip may prove likely to be the optimum for Fozzy Stack’s colt and he possesses the speed to win at this level, especially when granted a better draw which will afford him the chance to gain a position early in the race rather than having to come through the entire field which seems to have been a feature of his recent races.

Armor (111) also had to wait for a gap before challenging, his finishing effort eventually just short of the front two as he closed off in 34.22 seconds despite quickening as smartly coming out of the dip.

Further back in the field, Asymmetric (108) showed a flash of the ability that saw him finish closer to the winner in France as he registered a 10.89 second furlong.

Unfortunately, the tendency to over race early took its toll as the son of Showcasing faded late on.

The fastest overall race time on the day was the Cambridgeshire Handicap as Bedouin’s Story (110) finished strongly to spring a 40/1 surprise. The Godolphin gelding covered the final three furlongs in 35.17 seconds, which adds further perspective to the achievements of the two-year-olds.