Kalypso King

There was a general feeling after Kalypso King won the second division of the one-mile maiden at Newbury on Thursday that he had benefited from being allowed an easy lead in and from racing on the best part of the track, up against the stands rail, but it appears that neither was the case. Firstly, the jockeys shunned the stands rail for the rest of the day, all the races developed up the centre of the track, and secondly, Kalypso King’s rider Richard Hughes said afterwards that his partner was a little fizzy at home, so he decided that he would let him rip through the first part of the race, allow him run the fizz out of himself, before getting him back and allowing him to settle. He was surprised, then, when the rest of the field went with him, with the result that they fairly trapped along for the first five furlongs. The last thing he got was an easy lead. Given that, his performance may have been even more impressive than it looked, and it looked mighty impressive. Racing along the near rail, he showed a high cruising speed for the grade and had all of his rivals in trouble passing the two-furlong pole. Then, when Hughes asked him to pick up, the response was impressive, and he came right away to win, eased down, be seven lengths. The second, third and fourth all look useful, and Kalypso King toyed with them. He is a tough individual, and he did well to see out the mile, given how freely he raced through the early part of the race. He could be under-rated for this performance, the perception that he enjoyed an easy lead and raced on the fastest part of the track may persist, and he will be of interest wherever he goes next.

8th October 2009