Working Title

Working Title, who was really well backed for the Grade 2 handicap hurdle at Ascot on Saturday, ran a strange kind of race, appearing to get done for pace when they picked it up down the side of the course before keeping on to pass Chief Yeoman and take third place behind Lough Derg and Group Captain.

I had Working Title down as a suspect stayer after his run at Kempton over Christmas, when he travelled as well as anything into the home straight on good ground in a two-mile-five-furlong contest before finding disappointingly little and fading to finish fifth. The ground was more testing at Ascot on Saturday than the official ground description of good to soft, but he seemed to see out the two-mile-three-and-a-half-furlong trip okay. Looking at the Kempton race again, it may be that he was doing plenty on the bridle before the home turn and just had nothing left to give. It may be that he will stay two and a half miles ok, but a strongly-run two-and-a-quarter-mile contest may be his optimum.

Although he is bred to stay further than two miles, he is not devoid of pace, as he proved on a couple of occasions when he raced over two miles last season. On his penultimate run last term, he finished third in a two-mile contest at Newbury in April, just behind Planet Of Sound and Calgary Bay, and six lengths in front of Free World, form that is working out mighty well this term. He is obviously highly-regarded, and a rating of 133 could seriously under-estimate his ability still.

17^th January, 2009