ANDREW Balding has a very talented youngster on his hands in South Seas. Sent off at 9/4 favourite in Sandown’s Group 3 TCA Abu Dhabi Solario Stakes on Saturday, the son of Lope De Vega could even afford a slow start before moving through stylishly under Oisin Murphy to account for Salouen by just over two lengths, with Eqtiraan taking third.

South Seas remains unbeaten and his two previous victories had come on soft ground. He was taken out of a good race on the firm but the rain arrived at Sandown and he found both the going and the longer trip of seven furlongs very much to his liking.

That being the case, the Dewhurst looks attractive, though the Racing Post Trophy must also enter calculations.

“I think he’ll handle quicker ground when he has to,’’ the trainer said. “It’s nice to see him go and do it in a race with a bit of depth. The second is pretty good and so is the third. We’ll have to talk it over with Sheikh Fahad of Qatar Racing.’’

PERSUASIVE TOO GOOD

John Gosden may not be in the stunning form which often marks the first half of the season these days but he continues to tick over nicely and the Dark Angel filly Persuasive ran out a most impressive winner of the Group 3 Redrock Entertainment Atalanta Fillies’ Stakes over a mile.

Black Cherry made the early running but dropped away as challengers arrived on the scene in the straight. Pirouette took over briefly but once Rab Havlin had Persuasive, 6/4 favourite, in full flow she cruised past and went away to score by three lengths from Balding’s Blond Me with Lucy The Painter doing well in third considering she was denied a clear run in the closing stages.

Havlin said: “She’s got the right temperament and is very laid back. She also gets over her races very quickly.’’

Cliff Richardson, managing director of the Cheveley Park Stud, pointed out that other fillies in the same ownership had to be taken into consideration but the Matron Stakes and the Sun Chariot are high on the list of likely targets.

Havlin is finally getting the mounts he deserves, while George Baker and Harry Bentley are also enjoying a good campaign. Baker completed a double on Harbour Master and Unison, while Bentley will have been delighted to get the call from Henry Candy for Son Of Africa, 16/1 winner of the five-furlong handicap, and from Ralph Beckett, whose 6/5 favourite Pure Art scraped home over a mile and a quarter later on.

LEE’S CHESTER HAT-TRICK

Graham Lee went through a longish spell this season when the winners dried up and not as many trainers were seeking his services.

However, everything seems to be back to normal now and he rode a hat-trick at Chester’s hugely popular Saturday meeting, scoring on Partitia for Sir Michael Stoute, Muntahaa for John Gosden and Judicial for Julie Camacho.

Partitia, a Bated Breath filly, was not necessarily suited by the rain and is probably better on fast ground. Lee switched her round the leaders as they turned for home and she was always going to justify 13/8 favouritism in the fillies’ conditions stakes.

There was more pain for the layers as John Gosden’s 15/8 market leader Muntahaa just held on from Duretto in the listed one-mile, five-furlong handicap, while Judicial, a sprinter who has not had things go his way this term, came fast and late in the sportingbet.com Handicap to deny Lightscameraction by a length. Backed from 5/1 to 4/1 favourite, he had Lee followers believing that Christmas had come early.

This was a valuable card and Tim Easterby’s Breakable, 11/2, picked up nearly £30,000 for owners the Ryedale Partners when making all and resisting the generally unstoppable Fahey’s Right Touch by a length in the British Stallions Studs Handicap over the extended seven furlongs.

Sponsor survives Carnaby race

FROM the sublime to the whatever, the 20th Ian Carnaby Selling Handicap took place at Brighton on Monday.

In the unlikely event of Hennessy calling it a day, the seaside sponsor has a chance of becoming the country’s longest-serving supporter of a horse race, though he will need to live to 107 to achieve it.

Bookmakers are prepared to offer a shade of odds against this romantic, indeed optimistic, possibility.

Victory went to uneasy favourite Wahaab, not quite the “arrant rogue or thorough jade’’ used by Timeform to describe horses which can find better things to do than enter into the spirit of competition, but quite a scallywag nonetheless.

Trainer Richard Hughes amiably assured everyone that he would never win, slightly disconcerting at 11/4, but then again Richard has seldom pondered the in-depth quality of the typical Carnaby seller.

TIME MEDICEAN

Anyway, in a memorable finish, the old boy Time Medicean, possibly disconcerted by all the bays, browns and chesnuts after racing in a race for grey horses only last time, came from last to first and thoroughly deserved to win but Wahaab, expertly coaxed, cajoled, bribed and threatened by Shane Kelly, put his head down where it mattered most and, by the time he realised what was afoot and put it back up again, the damage was done and he held on.

Champagne and giant sticks of rock were duly dispensed and it is to be hoped that Kelly has several children and a sympathetic dentist.

The sponsor, meanwhile, embarked upon the sort of evening that recalled his youth and ensured that the pot for next year’s race made a slow start.

Returning to the real world has always presented him with a problem and it’s good to know that he has another 40 years to solve it. Apparently some 33/1, distressingly bigger on Betfair, is available.