Unbreak My Heart

Unbreak My Heart showed a fine turn of foot and a willing attitude to get up close home and land a Class 3 handicap at Pontefract on Tuesday. Held up in second last place in the early stages by Paul Hanagan, he began to make his ground between horse from the top of the home straight. He had to be switched twice inside the final two furlongs in order to get a clear run, but he kept going forward, and he stayed on really well to just get up on the line and deny the Dandy Nicholls-trained Bencoolen in a good time.

Unbreak My Heart has joined Richard Fahey from Roger Charlton and has been gelded since we last saw him. One or both of those moves has obviously met with his approval, because this was a significant step forward on his achievements of last season. Both of his wins before Tuesday were gained on soft ground, and he had disappointed on fast ground in the past, but this performance proved that he handles fast ground as well. He was progressive in the middle of last season, but he lost his way a little before showing a semblance of his previous form by finishing third to Mangham in a decent handicap over Tuesday’s course and distance last October on his last start for Charlton.

It may be that Fahey will try to run him at Pontefract again – he obviously likes the place – but he could be one for one of the big mile handicaps further south. The fast pace that El Dececy set here suited him well and, given that the early leader finished third and the horse that chased him early on, Bencoolen, finished second, it is unlikely that they went off too fast. Alternatively, Unbreak My Heart could be one for Chester next month. The handicapper shouldn’t go overboard with this performance, and there should be at least another handicap in him soon.

7th April 2009