STRADIVARIUS’S 123 rating at Goodwood came about as a result of a substantial upgrade due to his late sectionals but Space Blues registered a solid 116 in a well-run Qatar Lennox Stakes on the same card, quickening well to beat Duke Of Hazzard (111 here, 114 at eight furlongs) and Escobar (110).

A one-time Derby fancy, the amount of speed Space Blues has ended up showing clearly took connections somewhat by surprise but he has actually won at eight furlongs and perhaps will be given another shot at that under speed-favouring conditions.

His overall time was 1.32s quicker than that achieved by Battleground in winning the Vintage Stakes elsewhere on the Goodwood card, but the comparison reflects well enough on the younger horse, who is now rated 108.

Battleground beat Devious Company (104) by two lengths, which is a length less than Master Of The Seas had managed in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket the time before, and as a result the last-named has been bumped up to 112 and is a bit further clear at the top of my two-year-old rankings.

One who may be having a say in those in the future is Alkumait, who strode away with a six-furlong maiden later on and is now rated 98 with the likelihood of plenty more to come.

Maydanny bounced back from a couple of unplaced efforts to justify favouritism in the 10-furlong handicap with a useful 99 time performance of his own.

Galway’s opener

On the Monday of the Galway Festival, the 91-rated Blue For You’s win in the maiden opener the best run, but Tuesday was more eventful.

The Listed Fillies’ Stakes at seven furlongs fell to Champers Elysees in good style by seven lengths, in a race in which the leader went off too hard (94.9% finishing speed). Her bare timefigure comes out at a merely respectable 102 but I will be rating her 110 in anticipation that she can get into a more evenly run affair. The handicap Champers Elysees won at the Curragh probably represents useful form among the principals.

Remarkable Meala

However, her time was less than 1.0s quicker than put up by Meala in winning the opening fillies’ maiden by a remarkable 11 lengths, and that despite Meala being just a two-year-old.

The Jim Bolger-trained daughter of Epaulette gets a rattling good 104 figure as a result and looks well up to making her mark in group company at seven to eight furlongs.

Saltonstall was marginally fastest of four handicap winners at around eight furlongs when taking the Colm Quinn BMW Mile in the last stride from Njord. That makes for a modest time in the 80s for the winner, given those other races were ordinary, but Saltonstall probably did well to get there at all from so far back in a race with a finishing speed of 102.4%.

Expect the six-year-old to show himself capable of running to at least 102.