October 4 – Catterick – Ice Max – 101
Karl Burke’s inmate was bidding to get back on track after failing to make an impact at pattern level previously and boy did he take advantage of the drop back down in grade. Sitting well off the strong early fractions set up front, the son of Dark Angel worked himself into the picture turning for home and with a relentless surge that took himself past his rivals and all the way to the line, he ended up scoring by 11 lengths. Unsurprisingly given the nature of the gallop, the time figure was off the charts and although there could be an element of the ‘Asadna effect’ attached to this performance, he is still clearly a juvenile who packs a punch when on song.
October 4 – Nottingham – Spoof – 102
Having finished runner-up to Never Dark in a very fast time figure at Haydock previously, a big run was anticipated from Kevin Frost’s gelding under similar conditions and as it turned out, he didn’t disappoint. Racing handily just off the speed in the early stages, the eight-year-old stayed on strongly in the final furlong to get up close home and similar to his effort at the Merseyside, he ended up posting a very fast speed figure. Clearly in top form despite his advancing years, he remains one to keep on side while soft underfoot conditions prevail.
October 6 – Ascot – Hampden Park – 98
A race where Scenic seemingly held all the aces based on her previous pattern form, but she ultimately proved no match for a colt who took a huge step forward from his two other starts. Racing on the heels of the leader turning for home, Andrew Balding’s colt bounded to the front just outside the two furlong pole and from that point onwards, he gradually pulled further clear of his rivals. Clocking a smart overall time figure, it’s also worth noting he ran the last three furlongs 0.6 seconds quicker than Middle Earth, who landed the listed prize an hour later, so based on those findings, this son of Sea The Moon isn’t a million miles away from that class.
October 6 – Ascot – Middle Earth – 103
The form of The St Leger was very much on the line here with both the sixth and seventh doing duty and as it turned out, they went on to produce a rousing finish at the end of this listed prize. The eventual winner, who had a bit to find with his old rival based on their Doncaster clash, turned the form around in pretty convincing fashion and this performance was a perfect way to sail off into the sunset for this season. What route he will go down next term depends on where connections see him in their pecking order but as stamina seems to be his strong point, the Cup race pattern would seem the obvious targets rather than dropping back down in trip.
October 7 – Redcar – Award Dancer – 101
Not a race you would have expected to find its way onto this column beforehand, but that view has to be altered based on the overall time figure produced by the winner. Stepping up markedly in trip, the son of Awtaad was held up towards the rear early but brought with a steady run from three out, he ended up getting the better of the argument close home. Not only was his time figure the fastest on the card, his backend splits compared favourably with most of the other big races on both straight and round tracks and now connections seemed to have worked out his trip, he can continue to progress right through to the end of the season and beyond (has plenty of form on all-weather).
October 7 – Curragh – Aussie Girl – 100
One of the most industrious fillies in training, Fozzy Stack’s inmate kept up her amazing record of consistent performances going with her third win of the campaign and this time, she posted a career high on the numbers. Setting off to do things the hard way from the front, she looked momentarily vulnerable when main market rival Pinafore loom large in her wing mirrors a furlong out, but knuckling down to the task at hand, she turned the UK raider away by keeping strongly all the way to the line. Whether she will run again only time will tell, but if she does, you can be sure she will give it another good lash.