It is for me mate but as you know anything can happen in racing and come 25 to 4 it could quite easily have ran a stinker!
If you look at the horses profile though it always had the potential to be a good middle distance performer, initially trained in Ireland by John Oxx you just have to look at the horses 2nd career run to realise the horse had potential, this was the race readers view...
prominent, 3rd halfway, 4th straight, 3rd over 1f out, 2nd and challenged well inside final furlong, kept on well, just failed
That was at Leopardstown over 7 furlongs and finishing a sh hd 2nd to Casual Conquest who went on to be placed in two derby's and win a group 1!
He then won his maiden next time out very easily and then only had 2 more starts for John Oxx before transferring to Dandy Nicholls. Despite the horses obvious potential to go better over further (after the running on strongly over 7f on the 2nd start) Nicholls ran the horse 3 times over 7 furlongs and then on the final start for him over 6 furlongs
.
The horse then joined Tony Newcombe who immediately stepped the horse up to 10 furlongs with success straight away. In 4 runs for Newcombe over longer trips he's managed 3 wins and a 2nd to Alainmaar (who I believe to be a group 1 horse) Alainmaar was admittedly giving lumps of weight when beating him, but that's the only defeat suffered since stepping up in trip and the horse is progressing with every run.
I was at York when he won last time in what was a competitive looking handicap, he travelled strongly all the way and took the running up a furlong or two out and ran on strongly to win a shade cosy IMO.
In off a featherweight today it will take something very special to prevent him scoring IMO.
I'm already on at 8's as I jumped straight in as soon as the betting opened as I've been checking daily on what the horse is up to since York!
