Our columnist reflects on his recent two-year-old runners and looks ahead to a big weekend for the Musley Bank team.
The horses are running well right now which is great. Hopefully it can last for the full season.
Big Cigar was our first two-year-old winner of the season at Newcastle on Tuesday. He was a breeze-up horse and very professional on the day. I really liked how he did it. I don’t know what he beat but he did it well and it’s a great launchpad for his career.
There were only three runners in the Ayr race Crystal Queen contested and they didn’t go a gallop. That was all against her. She was a little breezy still, in contrast to Big Cigar. By that I mean she was too keen, wanting to get on with it. A proper pace to aim at would have helped but I was pleased with her debut and she has come out of the race fine. I’d imagine she’ll have learned plenty from it behind what seemed to be a very well-regarded winner.
Charted Course started out for us at Haydock on Thursday. I didn’t think he was a Royal Ascot horse but he’s so laidback at home, it was hard to get a proper measure of him. So I said to Richard Brown, who is racing manager for Wathnan Racing, that we should run him and see if it wakes him up.
They can surprise you at times on the racecourse and as ever Richard was brilliant about it. We ran and he shaped very well. He’s a colt I really like, a very handsome colt with plenty of ability. But he’s one who’s going to want seven furlongs and even a mile down the line. There was plenty to build-on from that first run. We won’t rush him and I think he’s a lovely prospect moving forward.
Saturday runners
Curragh
15:05 Powerful Glory
I skipped York for the Greenlands Stakes as I just felt the race was a better fit for the horse. He has a smaller penalty than he would have had in the Minster Stakes, and we’ve had another week with him.
He goes there in great form, I’m absolutely delighted with him but he will sharpen up for the first run, sprinters always do.
I think the stiffer six at the Curragh is definitely in his favour and Jamie Spencer obviously knows him well. He’s committed to riding Powerful Glory all season which is great, Sheikh Rashid was happy with that and so was I.
I’m looking forward to seeing him back.
York
13:30 Beattie Is Back
He’s drawn 22 of 22 and that I’m afraid probably isn’t the place to be over six furlongs at York. But you never know, it can change meeting to meeting. It’s ultra-competitive but he he’s had a break after a couple of good runs on the all-weather in the winter and Warren Fentiman takes a useful three pounds off.
14:05 Mussab
A two-year-old debutant who came from the breeze-ups. He goes well. I like this colt and he will be winning races for us but he faces two or three with experience and good form on his racecourse debut and whether he’s up to beating those first time out I wouldn’t know.
14:40 Vintage Clarets
He’s started to slowly come down in the ratings. It’s rare I’ll say this but I thought the handicapper was kind in dropping him three pounds for his run at Chester last time where I thought he did alright from his draw.
He’s becoming dangerously well handicapped and has good York form but I’d love a rain shower or three for him, just to keep the ground on the easy side, and they're not in the forecast.
15:50 Sporting Light
He produced a career-best to win at Southwell last time and is two-from-two on the all-weather there this season. I hope he’s as good on turf but he has to prove that on Saturday from a ten pounds higher mark in a very, very competitive race.
17:00 Golden Strike
He wasn’t at his best in the Spring Mile in March but I'm happy to put a line through that run. He’s a fresh horse coming into this and working well. I can see him running a big race but it's a typical York handicap, you could run the race five times and get five different winners.
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