Exciting juvenile for Stoute, Tamfana destined for bigger targets and Nicholls eyeing a big pot - three things we learned this week

Three key takeaways from this week . . .

A timely boost for Stoute

Solario winner Field Of Gold stole most of the spotlight with his terrific victory at Sandown, but fellow Juddmonte juvenile Jonquil displayed plenty of upside himself with victory at the same track on Friday to give Sir Michael Stoute a pick-me-up in a quiet season.

The winning margin of a short head didn't do justice to the performance given the significant interference he suffered two furlongs out. That the son of Lope De Vega was able to reorganise and power home owes much to his genius rider Ryan Moore, but also points to a colt of great potential.

This was only the master trainer's 19th win of the season, and he said himself earlier this year that it "can't be much longer" before his distinguished career comes to a close.

The setbacks and injuries suffered by Passenger, who looked set to be the yard's flagbearer this season after his impressive return at Chester in May, have impacted Stoute's involvement in big days, but Jonquil could be arriving at the right time to give the team at Freemason Lodge a much-needed boost for the rest of this season and possibly beyond.
Sam Hendry

Sun Chariot most suitable?

David Menuisier seemed to express all sorts of emotions after Tamfana stylishly claimed her first win of the season in the Atalanta Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.

After two admirable efforts in Classics – her defeat in the Prix de Diane was particularly heartbreaking – she demonstrated her class when dominating in a lesser grade.

It was a performance that tees her up nicely for a return to Group 1 company this autumn, and she doesn’t appear the type to write off quickly at that level, particularly as she has plenty of form in softer conditions.

Oisin Murphy and Tamfana win the Atalanta Stakes at SandownCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Menuisier did not want to commit to a target in the immediate aftermath, noting her entries in the Sun Chariot, Prix de l’Opera and the QEII. But surely she will stay at a mile after seeming to relish the drop back in trip, and the Sun Chariot seems the simplest option for connections to try to land a top prize. 

She’s already proved her suitability for the Rowley Mile and, with a fortnight gap to Champions Day, it’s not impossible she could also run in the QEII after.
Matt Butler

Nicholls' promising Flat recruit

Paul Nicholls does not put much stock into summer jumping these days, but he has made hay recently with Owners Group Flat recruit Brave Knight, who remained unbeaten over hurdles when completing a hat-trick at Newton Abbot on Saturday and could make an impact in the jumps season proper.

Freddie Gingell had to work hard on the odds-on favourite to hold off the challenge of Dodger Long, with the pair pulling a long way clear of the rest, and sterner tests await the four-year-old, who won twice for Sir Mark Prescott last year.

Nicholls, no doubt still smarting after being beaten into third place in last season’s trainers' championship, appears to have had the Summer Novices' Brush Hurdle Series Final at Worcester, which carries a prize fund of £70,000, at the end of the month in mind for Brave Knight for a while.

Brave Knight is still learning on the job and will have to race less enthusiastically, but the step up to two and a half miles should suit, and a good performance would give his trainer a welcome early boost to the coffers and mark him as a contender for some of the season's better handicaps, particularly on decent ground, perhaps in the spring.
Sam Hendry

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