Sandown Blackbookers August 22 – Horses to follow from Carlyon Stakes day

Judas Tree continued an excellent start to his career with a tough all-the-way victory in the opener. The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained three-year-old had progressed from a debut win on the Ballarat Synthetic to a strong runner-up performance behind the promising American Eagle at Sandown, where he posted some very respectable figures. Kept fresh for five weeks between runs, the son of Blue Point was rated perfectly in front by Jye McNeil on Saturday before finding plenty when challenged in the straight. He can still be a handful and the stable believes his mind is yet to catch up with his imposing physique, suggesting there should be further improvement to come with experience. A 1400m race at Flemington next month is reportedly an option and, whether he heads there or is given a freshen up for some feature races later on, Judas Tree looks a progressive three-year-old worth keeping firmly in the blackbook.

Buccleuch enjoyed a soft time in front but there was still plenty to like about the manner in which he put his rivals away, cruising clear for an impressive four-and-a-half-length victory. The Peltzer gelding showed plenty of ability as a juvenile, winning three races in succession including the Listed Taj Rossi at Flemington, but failed to fire in two starts as a three-year-old before being tipped out after a throat issue was identified. Patrick Payne gave him a lengthy break and, after signalling his return with a recent trial win, Buccleuch looked back to somewhere near his best at Sandown. He has now won four of eight career starts and Saturday's dominant return suggests he can work his way through the grades this preparation, particularly if he can continue to control races on speed.

Calamari Ring produced one of the more eye-catching performances of the meeting when resuming from a spell at just her third career start. The Ciaron Maher-trained filly created a big impression on debut last year when winning down the Flemington straight ahead of Streisand, who subsequently won the Blue Diamond Stakes and finished runner-up in the Golden Slipper. Calamari Ring was then seen just once during the autumn, finishing ninth in the $2 million Inglis Millennium at Randwick after drawing poorly. She was slow into stride when resuming over 1000m at Sandown but caught the eye charging home into third, producing the fastest final 400m of the entire meeting. With that run under her belt and likely to appreciate stepping up in distance, she looks capable of making sharp improvement next time out and is one to follow closely.

Somewhere caught the eye with a strong finish in the last race of the day and looks ready to win again this preparation. The Archie Alexander-trained galloper was given the option of settling further forward but failed to muster enough early speed, with Harry Coffey instead finding a favourable trailing position behind Makdane. Coffey followed that runner into the straight before being forced to shift wider around the 300m when Makdane failed to quicken, and Somewhere responded by hitting the line strongly to finish third behind Stay Silent, recording the fastest final 200m of the race. The consistent galloper now has three runs under his belt this campaign and was a Flemington winner last preparation. He should be approaching peak fitness and looks well placed to break through in a similar or slightly easier grade over his next couple of starts.