BetMGM Atalanta Stakes |
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| Group 3, Sandown 14:25 £85,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m, Class 1  |
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1 Lady Of Spain 14/1
2 Blue Bolt 7/1
3 Skellet 18/1
13 ran NR: Cathedral Distances: ½l, 4l, 1¼l
Time: 1m 44.08s (slow by 2.98s)
1/111-1
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 30, 2025
Lady Of Spain retains her her unbeaten record in the G3 Atalanta Stakes@varianstable | @Raydawson101 | @BetMGMUK | @Sandownpark pic.twitter.com/EolJkJqCOx
Roger Varian’s Lady Of Spain returned from the wilderness to extend her unbeaten record in a dramatic renewal.
Not sighted since December, when she struck in Listed company on Deauville’s all-weather, this was her first crack at Group Three level. The gap of eight months, the shift to turf, and the rain-softened ground all posed questions. But as the field charged down the Esher straight, she came up with all the right answers.
It looked for a fleeting moment as though Colin Keane and the progressive Blue Bolt had stolen the race down the centre. Lady Of Spain began to idle, the famous Sandown hill looming large — but under a strong drive from Ray Dawson, the 14-1 shot found again to get up by half a length.
Behind her, Ralph Beckett’s Skellet ran a race of extraordinary character. Almost brought down when clipping heels early, she somehow regathered and powered home for third on just her second outing of the season.
The victory saw Lady Of Spain cut to 10-1 for the Sun Chariot Stakes with Paddy Power, and it provided Dawson with a first winner since returning from a fractured wrist.
He admitted afterwards:
“I don’t have an awful lot to do with her at home, Roger spoke to me this morning and said they really like her.
“Obviously she’s not run for a while, had never been on turf and was encountering soft ground, so there were a lot of questions we asked of her and in fairness she answered all of them.
“She’s handled conditions and the time off the track has been no problem, so she seems a proper filly.”
And on what the victory meant, Dawson added:
“I’m in at Roger’s most days and everyone wants to get winners for him and Roger spreads the rides out very fairly. To get a winner on a Saturday and a big day like this means the world.”
Atalanta Stakes
£85,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m, Class 1
13 ran
Going: Soft
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (14) Lady Of Spain 4 9-6 Roger Varian Ray Dawson 14/1
2 (11) ½ Blue Bolt 3 9-0 Andrew Balding Colin Keane 7/2
3 (4) 4 Skellet p 4 9-6 Ralph Beckett Hector Crouch 18/1
4 (1) 1¼ Cajole 3 9-0 John & Thady Gosden William Buick 9/1
5 (10) ½ Bright Thunder 4 9-6 K R Burke Sam James 100/30F
6 (8) ¾ Spiritual 4 9-9 John & Thady Gosden Robert Havlin 7/1
7 (12) 1½ American Gal 3 9-0 Ed Walker Kieran Shoemark 14/1
8 (5) 1 Alobayyah 3 3 9-0 William Haggas Tom Marquand 14/1
9 (2) nk Hey Boo 3 9-0 Jack Channon George Bass 33/1
10 (7) 3¾ Fair Point 4 9-6 Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan 12/1
11 (13) 7 Flight 3 9-0 Ollie Sangster Oisin Murphy 15/2
12 (6) 14 Molten Rock 4 9-6 K R Burke Clifford Lee 50/1
13 (3) 26 Betty Clover 3 9-0 Eve Johnson Houghton Charles Bishop 18/1
NR 12 (9) Cathedral 3 9-0 Kevin Philippart De Foy NON RUNNER
