Yorkshire based trainer Tim Easterby is still very bullish about his stable star Art Power even after he threw out his worst performance of the season, when running no sort of race in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
The handler has sent the Sprint Cup field the message that underestimate Art Power at your own peril as just because he gave a below par performance does not mean he is not a Group One horse in the making.
The King Power owned three year old has shown himself to be a aspiring talent for the yard, winning three of his five outings to date, including the Five Furlong Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot this year.
That performance saw him land a hat-trick of wins and put himself on the map as a sprinter and from there has since stepped up once again.
Handicap blot! Art Power wins the Palace of Holyroodhouse in brilliant style...#RoyalAscot @Ascot pic.twitter.com/NDKviXXuRj
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 19, 2020
The son of Dark Angel headed over to Naas for his Irish debut in the Group Three Lacken Stakes and at a short price made a decent field look very average to gain his fourth successive win.
Before the Nunthorpe he had landed his three turf starts by a combined 11 lengths in mostly soft conditions meaning he will enjoy any rain that falls between now and the race.
(Credit Racing Post) His rider, three time champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa is of the same opinion as his handler and has explained that the York run was a blip and "Even going down to the gate he was very switched off, like a mile-and-a-quarter horse, I just felt he wasn't himself."
Looking ahead to Haydock, De Sousa added: "He's a horse who loves bottomless ground and you usually get soft ground there. I don't think we saw the real Art Power at York, I think the world of the horse and I think he's better than he showed."
Art Power is currently best priced at 7/1 to take the Group One event and should not be overlooked.