BLUE Bolt goes into the BetMGM Atalanta Stakes at Sandown today on a roll. Andrew Balding’s filly has won her last three, two novices stakes followed by the Listed Coral Distaff last time on Eclipse day, over today’s course and distance, when she made just about all the running and stayed on well against the far rail to get home by a length from Cajole.

That was a game performance and, while Cajole was beaten in a Group 3 race at Ascot next time, the third filly Suite Francaise went to Haydock earlier this month and ran out an impressive winner of a listed race there.

The Juddmonte filly is obviously talented and progressive, she obviously goes well at the track and this is a good trip for her, and she will have Colin Keane for company again.

You can see why she is favourite, but she is short and there are reasons too why you can take her on.

For starters, she had the run of the race from the front last time; Colin Keane gave her an astute ride and set the fractions to suit his filly. She may not be afforded that luxury today. This is another step up in grade for her, from a listed race into a Group 3, and taking on her elders for the first time.

Official ratings are obviously not definitive in pattern races, but they are at least a guide and, even after a 4lb hike for her win last month, Blue Bolt still has plenty to find with the top-rated fillies in the race.

Also, it was fast ground when she won last time, as it was when she won at Windsor in May. There was plenty of rain around at Sandown yesterday, they ended the day on soft ground and they were coming stands’ side in the home straight.

This will be the softest ground that Blue Bolt has ever encountered and, while she may handle it fine, and her best siblings Sea Theme and Sky Angel handled easy ground, it is still an unknown.

Big race

Cathedral is a player, she ran a big race in the Coronation Stakes and she proved that she could operate on easy ground when she finished second in the Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket at the end of last season.

Flight was third in the Oh So Sharp Stakes and second in the Guineas and, if she could re-produce that run, that would obviously bring her right into it.

And there is no knowing how good Alobayyah could be but, winner of her only race to date, a novice stakes at Yarmouth last October on soft ground, the fact that William Haggas is running her in a Group 3 race on this, just her second ever run, is obviously significant.

That said, the case for Spiritual is more compelling, and she looks over-priced. The Gosdens’ filly won the Coral Distaff on Eclipse day last year on soft ground, over today’s course and distance, and she put up a career-best performance on her second run this season when she won the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom on Derby weekend.

She looked very good that day, she led from early and she came away from her rivals through the final furlong, and the runner-up Bright Thunder enhanced the form of the race when she won a listed race at Deauville next time.

She was only fourth in this race last year, but that was on better ground. The ground has come in her favour now.

She was well beaten last time, but that was in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville, and she was hampered when she was weakening, accentuating the magnitude of her defeat.

She should appreciate the drop back down in grade today, and the return to Sandown and soft ground, conditions under which she put up one of the best performances of her life last year in the Distaff.

10-furlong handicap

It could be a good day to the Gosdens, because Spiritual’s stable companion Dangerman could be the answer to the 10-furlong handicap 35 minutes later.

An impressive winner of a Class 4 contest over this course and distance at the end of July off a mark of 76 in first-time blinkers, the Godolphin horse went back to Sandown last time and, racing off a 4lb higher mark, again in blinkers and again over today’s course and distance, made just about all the running to win once more.

He is up to a mark of 89 now and he is up into a Class 2 contest, but he is on a good upward trajectory now.

Unbeaten in blinkers, which are unsurprisingly retained, he is back over the same course and distance again. He set a good pace last time, he saw out his race well, and there is every chance that he can put up a similar performance today, even in this higher grade.

Spiritual, 2.25 Sandown,

6/1 (generally), 1 point win

Dangerman, 3.00 Sandown, 4/1 (generally), 1 point win