Glorious Goodwood (15.45): Battersea can power to Summer Stakes

Battersea shaped as if needing the run on his seasonal reappearance, and looks to have plenty going for him in the Summer Stakes at Glorious Goodwood (15.45).

The Roger Varian trained colt progressed throughout last season when landing back-to-back competitive class 2 contests at Ascot.
In the last of those, the four-year-old showed a good turn of foot to beat Gwafa by 1/2 lengths off a mark of 90.

That race has thrown up plenty of subsequent winners including Agent Murphy and Second Step, who are now rated 109 and 118 respectively.

Although not at his best on his final start of 2014 when well-beaten at Newmarket, Battersea was clearly not right that day and shaped far better than his finishing position suggests when eighth of 14 in the Old Newton Cup at Haydock on his return to action earlier in the month.

Battersea travelled powerfully for much of the 1m 2f contest until being unable to find any extra two from home and being allowed to come home in his own time to be beaten six lengths.

That run should have blow away the cobwebs and make the son of Galileo spot on for this, and Battersea’s current mark of 98 should certainly not be beyond him given the strength of his last win at Ascot.

The Varian yard has also now hit top gear and, with Andrea Atzeni in the saddle, everything points to a big run.

Excellent Result finished sixth in the aforementioned Old Newton Cup, keeping on after meeting trouble in-running, and is a big player if building on that.

The gelding won a Group 2 contest at Meydan last year off an official rating of 99, and that makes his current mark of 103 look exploitable.