Brando still a contender as Ryan stands up for his veteran sprint star

A trainer may not always be the most impartial witness when it comes to assessing the racecourse performances of his or her star but Kevin Ryan is a man who says it as he sees it.

After seven-year-old Brando put in a huge performance to finish second in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, it was impossible not to share Ryan's pride.

The trainer said: "He's run a great race. We were stood at the 100 metre mark and I thought we'd got it. He's bounced right back to his best form. This was a very strong renewal and I think it's a better race than when he won the Maurice de Gheest two years ago.

Brando was done no favours by the fast ground over Newmarket's undulations in the July Cup, while Ryan and his team had clearly been hurt by some of the analysis which followed that seventh-placed effort.

"If people had done their homework with the times and everything, his win at Hamilton showed he's has been as good as ever. He had a Group 1 winner behind him in Sands Of Mali," Ryan added.

"When he ran at Newmarket it was terribly disappointing that people wrote that he'd gone. It was upsetting for my owners because they read these things. He's proved today that he’s far from gone."

Brando and Tom Eaves head out ahead of their fine second-placed effort in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at DeauvilleCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

Ryan admitted that Brando can be tricky to catch right but said he felt he was in a going mood when saddling him up.

"When I saw him at the start I was sure he would run his race today," he said. "He has days he gets a bit edgy but today he was relaxed. He likes travelling and when we've run him at York, we've actually taken him overnight. He'll probably go to Haydock and Ascot and then we'll see you back here next year."

Brando's success capped a fruitful trip to Normandy for Ryan and jockey Tom Eaves, with Glass Slippers landing the Listed Prix Moonlight Cloud earlier.

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