FAST though Headway was in the closing stages at Lingfield last Saturday, he was not quite the fastest horse on the card. That honour went to Atletico, who ran 21.6s for the last two of the five furlongs of the Betway Handicap according to Total Performance Data, but still came up just short against Encore D’Or.

Both horses deserve marking up from their timefigures of 108 and 103, but Atletico more so than Encore d’Or. I would have him just behind Kachy – who is ante-post favourite – for the AW Sprint Championship at Lingfield at the end of the month but just ahead of others who feature at shorter prices than him for that event. As such, Atletico looks a decent each-way bet at around 12/1 at the time of writing. The one thing he has become good at is getting placed, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with his attitude, and a stronger pace and return to six should see him run well.