Ikorodu Road

Ikorodu Road ran a strange race in the two-and-a-quarter mile novices’ handicap chase at Newbury on Friday. He travelled well enough in the early stages of the race, but he jumped deliberately and slowly on occasion. He got outpaced at the top of the home straight, but he finished really well to take second place behind the Paul Nicholls-trained well-backed French import Rivaliste. Noel Fehily kept Ikorodu Road wide throughout, presumably with the intention of allowing him a good view of his fences, until they reached the home straight, when he switched inside. He got the third last fairly wrong when he was in a bunch just behind the winner, and he was deliberate again at the second last, and Fehily wasn’t really hard on him at all, but he still finished really well. He is still only six, this was just his fifth ever run and his first chase. The handicapper has raised him 5lb to a mark of 124, but he should progress markedly from this, he should also improve for a step up in distance given how well he finished here and the fact that he is by top stayer Double Trigger out of a half-sister to useful staying chaser Royal Tommy, and there could be a decent pot in him off his current mark. He is interesting.

27th November 2009