Racing: Fantastic Moon still unbeaten after stylish win

Jeremy Noseda has been due another headline horse and might just have one in the shape of Fantastic Moon, who came from last to first in great style to land the Candy Kittens Solario Stakes at Sandown.

He was produced to perfection under William Buick, collaring Tha’ir by a head to remain unbeaten and, while the Solario is not littered with future stars, the likes of Raven’s Pass have shown it should not be instantly discarded from the mind and Paddy Power reacted with a 25-1 quote about Fantastic Moon for the Investec Derby.

The runner-up is a good yardstick and Noseda will consider Group options over a mile as the next step on the ladder for his chestnut colt.

Noseda said after the 3-1 success: “He’ll stay a mile no problem and he’ll stay a mile and a quarter. He’s progressive and we will maybe take a chance at something like the Royal Lodge or the Racing Post Trophy.”

Those to have taken the hint of the slightly surprising presence of Sir Michael Stoute in Esher would have been rewarded as the trainer departed with a valuable double.

Dank has all the hallmarks of a later-developing Stoute filly as she was delivered with delicate timing by Richard Hughes in the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Atalanta Stakes.

The 7-2 favourite reversed recent Haydock Listed form with Ladys First, shrugging off a tricky wide draw with an arcing late run.

“She’s a lovely progressive filly and Hughesie gave her a great ride from what I considered to be a horrible draw. I’m really happy with her and she’s got a great attitude,” said Stoute.

Stoute gave George Baker a 30th birthday winner with the back-to-form Labarinto in the Piper Heidsieck Champagne & Levy Board Handicap.

Meanwhile, Robin Bastiman is harbouring hopes of a glorious autumn for Borderlescott after the old stager raised the roof in the Betfred Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes on the Westwood.

The 10-year-old, being ridden for the first time by Frederik Tylicki, could seek further glory in either top handicaps such as the Ayr Gold Cup or the Group One Prix de l’Abbaye following his first success for more than two years.

“It was great to see him win again and show those young ’uns how to run,” said Wetherby-based handler Bastiman. “You must never underestimate a Group One horse. He was on a mission. You could tell he wanted to do it.

“The owners want to run him in the Ayr Gold Cup, but he has a penalty for that now. It just depends, if the ground was fast up there he’d probably run in that. He might do, it’s hard to say.”

Yesterday, last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Danedream set herself up for the defence of her title with a workmanlike display in the Grosser Preis Von Baden.

Winning the Group One for the second successive year she was expected to win rather more easily than she did but, after a hard race at Ascot, connections were just pleased with another success.

Meanwhile, today’s scheduled meeting at Hamilton has been abandoned due to unsafe ground. Although a dry night was reported yesterday following 1.9 millimetres of rain on Saturday, areas of concern in the straight on already heavy ground led to the decision to abandon.

Clerk of the course Hazel Peplinski said: “Unfortunately things haven’t improved and having raced on heavy ground just the other day, there are now some unsafe areas. We suffer here because it’s such a narrow track and we are racing on the same strip of ground all the time.”