Alainmaar

Many will be disappointed with Alainmaar’s performance in winning a Class 2 conditions race run over 10 furlongs at Lingfield on Saturday. When you are backed down from morning prices of 8/13 to an SP of 1/3, expectations are high. He actually looked beaten a furlong out as he looked to hang in behind long-time leader Peligroso, trading at 11/4 in-running, but he picked up well from there to go on and win his race. Time may show that Peligroso is a useful performer. A Group 3 winner as a juvenile in Germany, he rounded off last season by winning a Class 3 10-furlong contest at York in October, when he made all. He set out to make all here as well under Alan Munro, as astute a rider from the front as there is, and he had a fair break on his field by the time they left the back straight. He slowed it down from there, and the field complied by falling into line behind him, before he kicked from the front, catching all of his rivals flat-footed. The front pair came right away from their three rivals, and Alainmaar himself looked in trouble before his class kicked in and he overhauled the Godolphin horse inside the last 150 yards.

Alainmaar remains exciting, a hugely progressive older horse. He made his debut this season in the City and Suburban Handicap at Epsom, when he carried top weight and travelled well through the race despite the fact that he had been edgy in the preliminaries. He wasn’t well drawn in stall 12 on the outside but he was smartly away and was over quickly into a nice position in fifth place, for all that he had to be used up a little to get there. He travelled well around the home turn and into the straight, travelled easily on the outside of the leaders, challenged Indian Days two furlongs out, went on a furlong out and showed a really nice turn of foot to come clear. He may not have had to be any better here than he was at Epsom, but he only had 1lb in hand of Peligroso on official ratings, and Peligroso is almost certainly better than his handicap mark of 109, so it was almost certainly another step forward from Alainmaar. He is entered in the Eclipse, and he may well be up to that class. He remains a really exciting prospect.

8th May 2010