SANDOWN

TRAINER Charlie Appleby has enjoyed a splendid summer for Godolphin and added another notable success through Masar, who ran out a clear-cut winner of the Group 3 BetBright Solario Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.

A son of New Approach, Masar (11/8f) had won on his debut at Goodwood before running really well to finish third behind Aidan O’Brien’s September in the Chesham at Royal Ascot. Given a break since then, he tracked the free-running pair Connect and De Bruyne Horse before taking it up just before the furlong marker. Pushed out by James Doyle, he readily accounted for Ken Condon’s Romanised by two lengths. The Irish raider kept on nicely for rider Shane Foley and it was very respectable effort on his second run in Britain.

Appleby commented after the race: “It was a conscious decision to give him a break after Ascot because physically he was a shell of a horse.

“He’s done great since then and I could see no negatives at all coming into today. We’re planning around his three-year-old career so he’ll probably have only one more run this season, maybe in something like the Royal Lodge. The further he goes, the better he’ll be.”

Bookmakers were quoting prices for Masar in the region of 25/1 on next year’s 2000 Guineas but the son of New Approach has the make and shape to become a possible Derby horse. He was going on well at the end of seven furlongs we will learn more about him should he take his chance in the Royal Lodge at Newmarket later this month.

ALJAZZI

The other Group 3 on the card, the Betbright Casino Atalanta Stakes, reunited several fillies and mares over a mile. They appeared to be very closely matched but Marco Botti’s Aljazzi proved a cut above and strode home three lengths ahead of Nathra with Tisbutadream third.

Aljazzi, another notable winner for her sire Shammardal this year, came from the back to lead a furlong from home before powering clear under Andrea Atzeni. Nathra did well, as she was caught widest of the midfield pack when the race developed, though she had no answer as the winner swept past.

Aljazzi finished second (at 40/1) in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge at Royal Ascot. Plenty of people took that performance at face value and she started at 9/2 last week.

“She wants time between her races so we freshened her up for this,” Botti reported. “She was further back than we wanted but she picked up well. The plan has always been to go for the Sun Chariot next.”

Atzeni later completed a double on Ed Dunlop’s 8/1 chance Al Nafoorah in the BetBright Casino Handicap over a mile.

David Menuisier is making a name for himself from his base at Pulborough, near Goodwood, and he has a very talented handicapper in Thundering Blue, who completed a hat-trick in the BetBright Recall Handicap.

There is nothing more dramatic that a horse coming with a withering run up the straight at Sandown and Thundering Blue, who was ridden by Joe Crowley, shot past his rivals to beat Monarchs Glen by a length and a half, with Rotherwick right behind. Thundering Blue raced off 87 and the inevitable increase will see him safely in the line-up for the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket.