JOHN Gosden may have been out of luck in the big race, but he has once again unearthed a live St Leger candidate in the shape of the unbeaten Logician, who had been well placed to win three fairly uncompetitive events before this first try in pattern company in the Group 2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes.

Khalid Abdullah’s grey with the raking stride has always promised to be a bit special, and the son of Frankel confirmed that impression with a victory which was visually more impressive than the one-and-three-quarter-length margin over runner-up Constantinople, Frankie Dettori reprising a now familiar role as big-race bane of Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien. The pair were a decisive seven lengths clear of the others, headed by Norway (Aidan/Donnacha O’Brien).

Out of the useful one-mile winner Scuffle, from whom he derives his colour, Logician only made his racecourse debut in May, but has justified favouritism in all four starts, namely a Newbury maiden, a Newmarket novice, a handicap at the latter track and now this Group 2 affair.

Patient

He’s a typical product of his trainer’s patient approach and eye for the season’s final classic, where he will attempt to emulate the likes of Shantou, Lucarno, Arctic Cosmos and Masked Marvel, all successful in the Doncaster feature for Gosden. It’s no surprise that he was made clear favourite in the wake of his win, and while he’s out of a mare who did all her winning at or around a mile, he has a relentless style of galloping which suggests that stamina is unlikely to be a big issue in the St Leger.

Straightforward

Constantinople looked more straightforward than he had when throwing away likely victory in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, clearly better suited by the solid gallop in contrast to the stop/start tempo at Goodwood, whereas his conqueror there, Nayef Road was put firmly in his place on revised terms, albeit beaten by too far to think he’d run near his best here. His trainer’s horses tend to be fully tuned for Glorious Goodwood, and he’s far from the first to disappoint at this meeting having won on the Sussex Downs.

Norway, used as a pacemaker more often than not this summer, was here on his merits it seems having finished third in the Irish Derby, but he is fully exposed and simply found later developing colts improving past time. His merit is well established by now, as are his limitations. Godolphin representative Jalmoud was third to Japan in the Grand Prix de Paris, but is grossly flattered by his proximity there, and seems to save his best efforts for France, again looking short of the required class having been well-beaten in the Gordon Stakes and Queen’s Vase on his last two starts on home soil.

IT looked for much of the straight as if the enterprisingly ridden Harpocrates (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) was going to make the most of a first attempt in blinkers in the Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes.

In the end, he was worn down in the dying strides by the promising Valderomo and Tony Hamilton, with the Richard Fahey-trained colt marking himself down as a smart prospect, particularly with a mile looking sure to suit him in the autumn. The pair had two and a half lengths to spare over the established Ropey Guest (George Margarson/Tom Queally), who had run with credit in both the Coventry and Superlative Stakes prior to this.

Promise

Valderomo had run into Superlative winner Travel Power on his debut at Haydock, finishing a fine third to the King Power Racing colt, and he built on that promise with an impressive win over expensive Godolphin purchase Global Storm, impressing with the manner in which he quickened clear to win by three and a quarter lengths at Doncaster.

This represented another step forward, and once again the son of Declaration Of War had to find a smart turn of foot to reel in the runner-up. He possesses both an ability to quicken and the relaxed demeanour which gives the impression he will have no trouble staying a mile, with Newmarket’s Royal Lodge Stakes looking an obvious target.

Valdermoro and Tony Hamilton (far side) wear down Harpocrates and Ryan Moore \ Healy Racing

Thrilled

Richard Fahey was understandably thrilled to have unearthed such a prospect, who didn’t break the bank at 50,000gns when resold at the Tattersalls Breeze-Up Sales having initially gone through the ring as a yearling at Keeneland in September. He’s from a fairly prolific US blacktype family, and his trainer feels that, in line with his pedigree, he will be best on fast ground:

“He’s a horse we do like a lot,” said the trainer. “We’ve made some fancy entries for him and I was feeling the pressure today. We’ll see how he is before deciding where to go. I think he’d go further, and I’d like to step him up to a mile.”