Horses To Follow » Secrecy

Secrecy

The other horse to take out of the Class 2 one-mile handicap at Salisbury on Monday was Secrecy. Held up in mid-division in the early stages by Frankie Dettori on the far rail, he got held up a little as Pride Of Nation dropped back just as the pace increased on the outside. They didn’t go fast early on, and by the time Dettori got out and around Pride Of Nation, he was probably further back in the field than he wanted to be off a quickening pace. Secrecy did pick up nicely, and he closed all the way to the line, but he had too much to find from the three-furlong pole with the first two, Prince Of Dance and Prime Exhibit, both good horses, but he is also worth keeping an eye on for the future, like the first two.

After winning his maiden easily on his racecourse debut for Michael Jarvis at Doncaster last September, despite running green, he was given a mark of 95 for his debut in a nursery, his second and final start last season, at Ascot, when the slow early pace was all against him and he pulled really hard through the early stages, but still ran well to finish second, well behind the winner Liberation, but in concession of 13lb to that rival (who was made favourite for the Tattersalls Million on the back of that run), and well clear of the rest of the field. We didn’t see the son of King’s Best again until last month, when he ran well on his seasonal debut and his first run for Godolphin to finish a close-up third in a good handicap at Doncaster off a mark of 101 despite losing a shoe. He was well fancied for Monday’s contest on the back of that performance, but things didn’t pan out for him. He is better than the bare result suggests. He is at home on easy ground, and he will be of interest if he runs again before the end of the season.

12th October 2009