Top 40 Group 1 winner Erdenali (9/2)

Top 40 entry Erdenali (9/2) won the Group 1 Prix du Moulin at Longchamp on Sunday on only his fifth career start. Unraced at two, the Caravaggio gelding won a Listed event at Deauville in late June and ought to have followed up in a Group 3 at Chantilly next time. However, the Francis-Henri Graffard trained three year old met trouble in running and finished on the bridle in a close third. Despite that reversal, he was elevated to the highest level and produced a tremendous performance to beat three Group 1 winners by upwards of a length and a quarter in a course record time. Held up early on by Mickael Barzalona, he was produced on the outside and readily swept passed Opera Ballo before seeing off the challenge of the Queen Anne Stakes winner Ten Bob Tony. As short as 2/1 for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot (17th October) next month, he will take some stopping on Champions day. 

One can't help thinking another Top 40 entry Double Rush should have won the Listed Garrowby Stakes at York. The four year old has been a revelation since joining Andrew Balding winning three times this season with his official rating climbing from 90 to 110. Successful in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot in June, he wasn't unable to shake up the principals in the July Cup last time. Given a break (57 days) and dropped in class, he travelled well in behind the leaders on the Knavesmire. Making headway on the far side, he found Extremely Zain too strong in the closing stages with half a lengths separating the pair. Had the Kingsclere runner been committed sooner, the result may have been different. The son of Blue Point is capable of winning something similar this Autumn - the Group 3 Bengough Stakes at Ascot (3rd October) could be a suitable target.

I have emailed clients on Sunday afternoon with full details of the new edition of One Jump Ahead and the Updates - the book is due to be published towards the end of September but it is possible to pre order via the Publications section of the site. If anyone would like a order form, please email me at mark.howard@mhpublications.co.uk