Karthon produced a highly promising performance at Kempton on the 19th August when finishing a fine second over one mile three furlongs, showing that a maiden success is surely not far away.
Breaking smartly from the stalls, Karthon was soon sent forward from his wide draw by champion jockey Oisin Murphy, disputing the early lead. Travelling comfortably in second for much of the contest, he always looked poised to play a leading role as the race unfolded. Moving smoothly into a narrow advantage approaching the final furlong, Karthon quickened clear to establish a length lead, but was caught inside the closing stages by Distinction, eventually going down by just a length and a quarter.
After the race, jockey Oisin Murphy gave us his verdict on the performance:
“ He saves a bit for himself, I’m afraid. He gets to the line, and he can keep going, so he doesn’t come back tired. Andrew will have a think, we might swap the visor for full blinkers so he can’t see behind him. This is his minimum distance, so Andrew will have a think about what races are available to him, but anywhere from a mile and a half to further should be within his capabilities.”
Trainer Andrew Balding reported the following morning:
“ Karthon was sound this morning after his run at Kempton yesterday. He lost 3kg which isn’t a lot, the average is 7, but I was pretty pleased with the run. I think the fact that he was drawn out wide possibly didn’t help because he’s had to go forward and sit handier than maybe he would’ve had to if he had an inside draw. As a result, he probably ended up in front a bit sooner than ideal and was a bit vulnerable to the closers but I think he has run a decent race and hopefully his turn isn’t far away.”
This was another encouraging performance from Karthon, indicating that a breakthrough victory is surely just around the corner. Karthon remains an exciting prospect for everyone connected with him.
Shares are still available in Karthon at just £55 per share HERE.
