Royal Destination

Royal Destination put in a really decent performance to get up and land the Class 2 10-furlong handicap that closed proceedings at York on Tuesday. Taken back by Frankie Dettori after breaking well, he soon adopted a nice position towards the inside, just behind the pace. However, he was the recipient of a bump from Charminamix on his inside after they rounded the first turn, which set him alight a little, and Dettori struggled a little to settle him again after that, taking him back probably a little further than he would have wanted. The early pace wasn’t overly quick, which was perhaps surprising with three Mark Johnston horses in the line-up, but they did go for home early enough, as soon as they straightened up for home with more than a half a mile to run. Dettori bided his time on Royal Destination. No better than 10th at the top of the home straight, he sat still enough and waited for the gaps to open as, one by one, his rivals around him began to get more animated. He and Richard Hughes on Chaminamix were the only two still high in the saddle as they passed the three-furlong pole, although both had plenty of ground to make up. Dettori moved his horse towards the rail, and he ran into traffic problems. Then he moved him out towards the middle of the track, and he again ran out of racing room. Eventually he took him out to the middle of the track and found racing room well inside the furlong, and Royal Destination picked up really nicely, clawing back the lead and the momentum that Stevie Thunder had built up and just getting up to beat him on the line.

Jeremy Noseda’s gelding has now won three of his four races this season, his only defeat coming in a hot handicap at Glorious Goodwood, when he probably hit the front too soon, was a little short of room inside the final 50 yards and was only beaten a half a length by an on-song Drumfire. This win, off a 2lb higher mark, proved that he is still progressing. The handicapper will have his say now, but he should still be worth following. This was just the sixth race of his life, he was value for a fair bit more than the winning margin, and he is hugely progressive. He could be a Cambridgeshire horse.

18th August 2009