AS a Group 3, the Betway Solario Stakes at Sandown has sometimes punched a long way above its weight. Winners in recent years have included Kingman, Masar and Too Darn Hot, while Kameko had to settle for second in 2019.

Keep your eye on the one-two in this year’s renewal – Etonian and King Vega, both promising colts – even though the time element of their performances was useful rather than brilliant.

Etonian followed up his win at this course and distance in July with authority, though it might have been close had King Vega got into the clear sooner: there was a length and a quarter in it at the line.

I have the pair rated at 102 and 98 respectively, but those figures may just prove to be staging posts on the road to much better.

All that said, the Solario was run in an overall time slower than the opening maiden, won by One Ruler, though that almost certainly reflects well on the latter more than poorly on the former.

One Ruler is now on 103 and well worth trying in group company, while the next three horses, Maximal (99), Latest Generation (99) and Mithras (98), are bankers for maidens.

Incidentally, the listed win of Cobh at Salisbury on Friday was notable even more for the further compliment it paid to Chindit (now 109), who beat Cobh and Naval Crown at Ascot, as for the effort of Cobh (101) himself.

The other Group 3 on the Sandown card, the Atalanta Stakes for fillies/mares at a mile, went to Maamora (104) under a very good ride from William Buick, who controlled things from the front while some rivals in behind got in each other’s way.