IT has been a moot point which of the three-year-old mile-and-a-half colts has been the best this summer, with Wings Of Eagles winning at Epsom, then being beaten by an enterprisingly-ridden Capri at the Curragh, and the likes of Cliffs Of Moher, Eminent and Cracksman also having a shout.

The Great Voltigeur Stakes at York changed that. Cracksman – who had been third at Epsom and second at the Curragh – had credible opposition in the form of the smart pair Venice Beach and Mirage Dancer, but blew them away with a performance of rare merit.

Having taken a while to find his feet, Cracksman swept through three furlongs out and forged clear to score by six lengths and the same. The overall time was decent, if not quite as good as might have been expected, but sectionals help to put some meat on those bones.

I have a timefigure of 119 for Cracksman, which is the same as he recorded at Epsom. But his finishing speed here was 106.4% for a 36.35s final three furlongs, indicating that he should be able to run a good few lengths faster still.

The Great Voltigeur was comfortably slower early in the straight than the International, but comfortably quicker (or, at least, Cracksman was) in the final quarter-mile. That all reflects well on Cracksman, who was very nearly as good as he looked, despite the good-but-not-outstanding overall time.

It has been an odd campaign for Cracksman, who puzzlingly missed the Dante due to ground no softer than he encountered here, possibly lost the Derby through inexperience as a result, and who may now be put away for next year just as he is really coming good. That said, he should make a fine four-year-old.

Venice Beach (109 here, 114 at his best) seems slightly limited but would probably go pretty close if sent to Doncaster for the St Leger, in which he would be unlikely to meet anything of Cracksman’s calibre. Mirage Dancer did not convince with his stamina for 12 furlongs let alone further.