Noakarad De Verzee

Noakarad De Verzee put up a nice performance to finish second in the three-mile handicap chase at Sandown on Friday. They didn’t go a great gallop in the early stages, the five other runners allowed Jason Maguire dictate a nice sedate pace up front on Thedreamstillalive, and they shuffled around in behind him for the first two and a half miles, but Noakarad De Verzee jumped well and arrived there at the Pond Fence travelling as well as any of his rivals. Paddy Merrigan pulled him to the outside at that point, and he kept on well over the last two fences, but he doesn’t have many gears, he just kept on at the same pace, and he could never get to the 40/1 shot Temoin. The rider actually lost his right iron briefly on landing over the final flight, and took a couple of strides to get it back and get balanced, but for which he would certainly have finished a lot closer to the winner.

A French recruit and a former hunter chaser, this was just Noakarad De Verzee’s third start under rules in Britain. The ground was too good for him on his latest start at Ascot, but he did shape very well on his previous start over three miles on soft ground at Chepstow, when he finished third behind Peut Etre Sivola and Night Safe, both of whom have run really well since, the former winning again, both off higher marks. The handicapper left him on a mark of 113 for that, and he shouldn’t be too harsh on him for this either, but he can progress again for this run. He is still lightly raced, and he should be better with a greater test of stamina, for a longer distance or softer ground or a stronger pace, or all three.

4th December 2009