Royal Ascot looms large amid talk of a £70,000 big-race gamble and the young star billed as a possible horse of a lifetime

In every respect, things are heating up. A sunny Sandown Saturday worked well to whet the appetite but the quality of sport is now set to soar alongside the temperature.

On an afternoon when ice creams were licked and bare legs exposed, a brass quartet made its way through a repertoire that included a bit of Britney Spears, the theme tune to Wallace and Gromit and (Is This The Way To) Amarillo. The Texas city is probably a lovely spot but so long as we make it to Ascot, Amarillo can remain unfound.

Colin Keane definitely knows how to get there but until putting Town And Country's nose in front in the final strides of the BetMGM Scurry Stakes he had no experience of Sandown, just as he had not visited Newmarket's July course prior to riding his Queen Anne Stakes mount Lead Artist in a midweek workout.