Talk Of New York looks the real deal in G2 Joel Stakes rout

Talk Of New York booked himself a return to G1 company with a sensational performance in the G2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket on Friday.

Third in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Wootton Bassett homebred bounced back from a surprise defeat at Glorious Goodwood as he stormed to a near five-length success on the Rowley Mile.

With Notable Speech retiring to stud at the end of the season, Talk Of New York will be hoping to step into the void left by the champion miler, with races like the Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Mile among his possible four-year-old targets. More immediately, he could be supplemented for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot.

Fortitudine impressed on the same card as he took his unbeaten record to three when making all in the Listed Godolphin Stakes. The full-brother to Rebel’s Romance was making his first turf start on the back of two all-weather victories and could line up in the G2 Dubai City Of Gold in February – a race his illustrious sibling captured earlier this year.

Diameter had finished third on his previous appearance over a mile in April’s G1 Champagne Stakes and the half-brother to Cylinder enjoyed the return to the distance as he gamely won the G2 Stutt Stakes at Caulfield on Sunday. He will seek a first G1 success when he lines up over the same course and distance in next month’s Caulfield Guineas.

Military Order registered a fourth all-weather Stakes win when scoring by nearly 10 lengths in the Listed Diamond Stakes in Ireland on Friday. A full-brother to Adayar, the six-year-old was having his first start since taking third in last November’s Bahrain International Trophy and looks set to return to the same race, which carries G1 status for the first time this year.

In Germany, Fortuna Diamond saw her consistency rewarded with a first G3 success in Cologne’s Sprint Trophy on Sunday. The Night Of Thunder filly has won or placed on six of her seven starts, including winning a Longchamp Listed race and finishing second in the G3 Hamburger Stuten Meile.

Hot Seat booked himself a step up to Stakes company in Japan following victory in a Hanshin allowance race on Monday, while Nero Noir made an exciting debut with an easy win at the same course on Saturday.