Kay Gee Be

Kay Gee Be produced a solid effort to finish third in the valuable seven-furlong handicap at Kempton on Saturday. The defection of Thebes left Dunn’o as the only pace-setter in the race, and he was allowed the run of things up front, with the result that he was able to set a muddling pace that developed into a sprint when they hit the home straight. Kay Gee Be was drawn towards the inside rail and he broke well enough for Kieren Fallon to track the leaders in a nice position. The field was bunched up behind Dunn’o as they turned for home, and a sprint developed, with Fallon angling Kay Gee Be out for a clear run alongside Dunn’o. However, William Jarvis’s gelding was unable to quicken sufficiently as Beauchamp Viceroy emerged as the quickest from the sprint and hit the front in the final furlong. Kay Gee Be having been outpaced began to stay on well inside the final furlong to get up for third place just behind Dunn’o and just a half a length behind the winner.

This was a highly creditable effort from Kay Gee Be on his seasonal debut. He was dropping down in trip having raced over a mile for most of last year, and the slow early pace didn’t suit. He got outpaced two furlongs out but stayed on really well in the last furlong. He is sure to improve from this first run of the season and when he is stepped up again to a mile. This was a valuable handicap and attracted a lot of decent horses. The winner had run very well at Meydan during the carnival, and was only beaten five lengths in a Group 3 contest at Lingfield on his latest start. There were some very decent handicappers in behind like Brave Echo and Ceremonial Jade that would have been more suited and proven over this trip as well, and Light From Mars, who, like Kay Gee Bee, was unsuited by the slow early pace.

Kay Gee Be was a very consistent performer over a mile last year, but if he steps up on this performance, which he should do when returning to a mile and given a stronger pace, he could be even better this term.

3rd April 2010