Kings Destiny

Kings Destiny didn’t enjoy the run of the race in a 12-furlong handicap at Chester on Wednesday, and he is worth another chance. The pace was sedate throughout, as dictated by Frankie Dettori on Quai D’Orsay, which didn’t seem to suit Kings Destiny at all. It is a difficult one for a jockey when the pace is not strong at Chester. If you want to move up in order to either influence the pace or gain a more prominent position in preparation for the inevitable quickening of the pace as the home straight looms, it is difficult to find a piece of ground that is not on the turn on which to do it.

Neil Callan sat and suffered on Kings Destiny. The Dubai Destination colt pulled hard for his head through the early stages as the jockey tried to get him settled behind runners, but the pace simply wasn’t strong enough. Even up past the winning post first time, it was obvious that the horse wanted to go faster. He got trapped three wide, wider than anything else in the field, going around the paddock turn, settled a little better down the back straight, and forsook ground again as he went widest of all all the way around the home turn. Given all of that, it was remarkable that he arrived there on the outside of eventual winner and runner-up, Braveheart Move and Quai D’Orsay, three deep, on the crown of the home turn, apparently travelling at least as well as his two rivals. However, he had done a lot of running just to get there, and Dettori kicked again on the inside, stealing three lengths and setting sail for home.

Kings Destiny kept on well enough to take fourth place, but he is much better than this. He won his maiden at Lingfield on his final start last term, and he stayed on well to land a handicap at Leicester on his debut this season in early April off a mark of 83 when he had two subsequent winners behind in third and fourth. The handicapper can’t really raise him for this performance, and his mark of 86 looks lenient. He handles fast ground, and he may be best dropped back to 10 furlongs where the slightly faster early pace should suit him.

6th May 2009