SPANISH MISSION, which I bought for Team Valor and Hon Earle Mack last year had disappointed on his first start as a 3yo on the Kempton polytrack. He did not seem to be quite ready for the race, being a late maturing type. After a further delay on a  after he spiked a temperature in the early part of May, he was entered to run in  the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood over 11 furlongs this past Friday.

Unfancied in the betting at 33/1 he went down nicely to post and then given a good ride by Jamie Spencer he came through the pack in the last 2 furlongs and looked set to win, only to be caught on the line by the hot favorite ridden  by Frankie Dettori The official distance was a neck.  He blew quite hard after the race and this experience will bring him on a ton. The next run should be even better and on Friday's showing there looks to be a good Stakes win to be had with this colt.

David Simcock will probably give him time to recover from the race, and most likley will steer clear of Royal Ascot, but there is a GR 2 in France in 3 weeks' time which might just be the right race.

Wherever he ends up going he will be much more tuned up and he looks like being a really nice staying 3yo to go to battle with for the rest of this year and his physique suggests that he will be even better at 4.

An exciting prospect who jumped up to a 106p Timeform rating