Beherayn

Beherayn was really impressive in winning the feature race, a Class 4 handicap chase, at Bangor on Friday. It is unusual to be keeping an eye on Bangor on the Friday of Galway Festival/Glorious Goodwood week, but this fellow was so impressive that he is worth a mention. Travelling out the back in the early stages, he moved effortlessly through his field going down the back straight, going clear on exiting the back, despite a mistake at the last fence down the far side. Russian Invader got out after him and looked a real danger, there was always a chance that Beherayn wouldn’t find as much as it looked like he would when Richard Johnson asked him, but he did. He just needed a squeeze from Johnson to pick up and go away again over the last two fences. He was a little awkward at one or two fences, and he has had his mis-haps in the past – this was his seventh chase and only his fourth completion – but he can go on from this now with this confidence-booster under his belt. He is rated 12lb higher over hurdles than the mark off which he competed on Friday over fences, and he should be a better chaser than a hurdler, so there is plenty of scope left in him as a handicapper. As long as the ground remains good, he can go in again.

31st July 2009