Making his mark: a distinctive new Group winner

Flashy three-year-old Damysus is beginning to deliver on his promise. Named after the fastest of the Giants in Greek mythology, the son of Frankel is actually somewhat on the small side – almost as broad as he is tall. But he is certainly fleet-footed.

Placed in two early-season Derby trials, everything went wrong on what was supposed to be his big day at Epsom, hurting himself in the starting stalls before quite understandably failing to shine at the business end of the ultimate Classic. Given plenty of time to recover, Damysus returned to action at Listed level, proving a class apart in the Prix Nureyev, a race his trainers John & Thady Gosden had used last year as a rung on the ladder for this season’s top-rated horse Ombudsman.

Having dodged a planned assignment at Longchamp last week, on account of the suddenly sodden turf, the Gosdens rerouted him to the Group 3 Darley Stakes on the Dewhurst undercard. The fast conditions were right up his street – his bright white face beaming at the front of the field for all nine furlongs of the straight Cambridgeshire course. This race was also won last year by a future Gosden star – G1 miler Lead Artist – so the omens couldn’t be better for Damysus, who is well on the way to avenging his Derby day disappointment.

Within minutes, a second Wathnan colt was taking his own steps up the ladder: Division, winner of two bloodless outings against novice company, was tackling the 15-runner Rockingham Stakes up at York, a two-year-old Listed event – overshadowed perhaps by the G1 and G3 juvenile action at Headquarters – over a rapid six furlongs. Division was more than equal to the test, notching up his hat trick with authority. His sister, Celandine, was a Group 2 winner over York’s six furlongs last year: hopes are high that Division might be able to be competitive in that sort of company next season.