ROYAL AND REGAL, one of only two with a penalty and having his first race for Michael Jarvis, was racing over what is likely to be his minimum trip this year, but conditions made this a fair test of stamina and he confirmed the class he had shown at three in last year’s Jockey Club Cup for Andre Fabre with a good effort, marred only by the incident two furlongs out when he hung left and did Zaham no favours.
The winner will have a Cup campaign, but his owner reportedly has reservations about him as an Ascot Gold Cup horse this year owing to his age group’s dismal record in the race. The Yorkshire Cup is next on the agenda.
Zaham, who suffered an overreach in the Winter Derby, resumed the upwards curve he was on at the end of last year with another excellent effort. What’s more, he was arguably unlucky, for he lost ground and momentum when hampered by the winner two furlongs out and must have made up the best part of three lengths on him when coming back strongly at him in the final furlong. He ought to be able to land a similar race this year.
The worry in assessing this form is the proximity of third-paced Templestern, for he won his handicap last year off only 82, albeit by eight lengths. However, he was very progressive in blinkers last year until disappointing in the Melrose, he represented a stable in blinding form this week, and on top of that he had the run of the race here, allowed an easy lead. He may well have been flattered.
Ivy Creek was closing at the finish and was nicely clear of the rest. Althoughhe has yet to win outside Listed class he has plenty of from that entitled him to run well and he is another from a stable in great form.
Gower Song, penalised for her Group 3 win in Dubai, wasn’t disgraced, but she never got in a blow, while Regime ran well to a point after a slow start, but she was going nowhere in the closing stages and may well have found this stretching his stamina.
Big Robert’s trainer William Muir was on record expecting a big run, having reportedly sorted out a few things that weren’t right at the end of last year. He didn’t run badly after his slow start and Muir was more than pleased. He insists he needed this, and that we will see a different horse on quicker ground in the Jockey Club Stakes next time.
The highly progressive Malt Or Mash can be forgiven as the ground had gone against him completely. He is a different proposition on fast going or Polytrack and will be well worth another chance in this sort of grade.
Sergeant Cecil had been fourth in this race for the last two years, but the vibes had been negative through the week and he was the first beaten and just passed a couple of stragglers before the finish.
Those stragglers were Petara Bay, who was having his first race since the Derby and was unproven on this ground, and Tranquil Tiger, who had been the subject of highly encouraging reports, but was another who was not sure to appreciate the ground. The latter’s rider confirmed that the ground was the problem, and so ought to be worth another chance on better going. (GD)
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