Horses To Follow » Jedi

Jedi

Jedi put up a nice performance to win the 12-furlong handicap that brought the curtain down on Chester’s May meeting on Friday. Slowly away and tacking over from his draw in stall 12, he travelled well down the back straight, he was a little short of room as they started turning for home, but it opened up for him nicely just before they straightened up, he moved up between Embsay Crag and Hindu Kush, and he picked up nicely to take it up, from Una Pelota two furlongs out. From there he went two lengths clear as they straightened up. He did begin to idle from there, and it looked as if I’m In The Pink was in with a chance of catching him as he stayed on well on the far side, but Jedi picked up again to win two lengths in the end, and you feel that he had a fair bit more in hand than that.

Highly regarded last year, the son of Pivotal never quite fulfilled expectations, but he was obviously showing enough for Michael Stoute to persevere with him, and he shaped with some promise following a gelding operation to finish fourth in a really good handicap at Lingfield in April, a race in which subsequent impressive Newmarket handicap winner Tinaar was second, and in which last month’s Sagaro Stakes winner Illustrious Blue was third. Jedi is a half-brother to Warringah and a mile and a half appears to be his optimum distance. The handicapper is sure to give him a little hike for this, but he is progressive now, he has raced just seven times in his life, and he could be worth trying in a much higher grade now. He could be very useful.

7th May 2010