It has been a quieter spell for Racing Club runners, with the prolonged warm and dry weather leaving quick ground at courses across the country. Like many trainers and others involved in the sport, we have been hoping for some much-needed rain and, with conditions unsuitable for a number of our horses, opportunities to get them onto the track have been limited.
Nevertheless, we have enjoyed a handful of runners and there have been some very encouraging performances. While our news reports mainly focus on our micro-share horses, The Bureau Club deserves a special mention following a tremendous effort at Chepstow on 9th August. She led for virtually the entire race and battled all the way to the line, only to be caught in the dying strides and denied victory by a short head.
Sax Avoidance also produced a pleasing performance on just her second start at Windsor on 13th August. She led the field through what looked a strong maiden and travelled nicely for much of the contest, despite appearing to find the ground quicker than ideal. She tired late on but still finished a creditable fourth behind some promising types, giving us plenty of encouragement for the future.
Our two-time winning filly Magic Runner returned from a well-earned break at Doncaster on 1st August, making her return to turf after enjoying plenty of success on the all-weather at Wolverhampton. She faced a very different test on this occasion and understandably had a good blow after the race, finishing fifth without being given a hard time by James Sullivan.
She took a small step forward on her next start when finishing seventh in a competitive race at Ripon. She looked slightly outpaced at stages before staying on at the one pace through the closing stages. Neither track may have played entirely to her strengths, and we can look forward to seeing her back in action again soon when the right opportunity arises.
The impressive-looking Persian Force gelding From Me To You took a really pleasing step forward at Lingfield on 13th August, despite being slowly away. He made good progress through the field, passing several rivals and showing a very positive attitude as he responded well under pressure.
He may not have enjoyed the kindest passage through the race, but he still finished strongly to take a close fourth, beaten just a length and a half by the winner. This experience should have given him a valuable confidence boost, and there looks to be plenty more to come. A repeat of this effort, or any further improvement, should see him winning races sooner rather than later.
Jockey/Trainer Comments:
Jockey James Sullivan- “I was happy with the filly today, she got into a nice position. When they quickened she probably didn’t have the gears to go with them but she has galloped on through the line and kept her head down. A bit of easier ground would probably help her out, but it was only her second run for a while so I was pleased.”
Trainer Richard Hannon – “She got away with seven furlongs last time because we dictated and the ground was slow, but she wasn’t fast enough for it today. I would step her up to a mile, and even a mile and a quarter. I think she is well handicapped and she’ll keep improving. She is in a good place and will win again, and potentially win a few, as she has plenty of scope as a lightly raced filly who is improving all the time.”
