Rising star Art Power preparing for Nunthorpe dust-up with brilliant Battaash

Exciting sprinter Art Power is set to be pitched straight in against Battaash in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York next month.

The fast-improving three-year-old, an impressive winner of the Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot, made his Pattern-race debut when landing the Group 3 Lacken Stakes at Naas this month.

View the result and replay of Art Power's winning start in Group company

And the Tim Easterby-trained colt, who has won his three turf starts on soft surfaces by a combined total of 11 lengths, now has a Group 1 prize in his sights.

"We're most likely aiming for the Nunthorpe," said Alastair Donald, racing manager to King Power Racing.

"There's an outside chance he could run at Goodwood if it happened to rain but there are a lot of nice targets in the autumn so we're going to try to keep him fresh for the likes of the Nunthorpe, Flying Five, Haydock Sprint Cup and Abbaye.

"There's a very good programme for him in September and October, when we know he'll get his ground."

Art Power: scores with authority at Royal Ascot under Silvestre de SousaCredit: Edward Whitaker

Art Power took the Lacken Stakes by two and a half lengths under Colin Keane and Donald said: "I think he'd have won by further at Naas if he'd got a better draw.

"He's an exciting prospect, he's rated 122 by Timeform and there aren't many three-year-old sprinters with those kind of figures, and we're aiming for a strong autumn with him."

The Group 3 win came over six furlongs whereas his Ascot success came at five, and Donald added: "Speaking to the jockeys, they think he's going to be equally as good at five and six furlongs, which is exciting because a lot of sprinters tend to specialise at one distance but he's quite versatile."

Art Power is a best-priced 8-1 for the Nunthorpe on August 21, in which champion sprinter Battaash will be bidding to repeat last year's victory.

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