Strong Suit

Strong Suit made a really pleasing racecourse debut at Newbury on Friday, he travelled well for Richard Hughes, took it up easily from Straight Line, who had run twice and looked promising, quickened up nicely to take it up, and then ran all the way to the line to withstand the challenge of Neebras on the far side, the pair of them pulling clear of their rivals.

Two interesting things about this performance. Firstly, the time of this race, the second division of this six-furlong maiden, was more than two seconds faster than the time that they posted in the first division a half an hour earlier, and was only a half a second slower than the time that the three-year-old Angel’s Pursuit posted in winning a listed race over the same course and distance earlier in the day. Secondly, Strong Suit’s trainer Richard Hannon won a division of this maiden last year with Canford Cliffs, who was one of the most impressive Coventry Stakes winners seen in years on his next start. He also won it with the high class Major Cadeaux in 2006, who finished second in the Coventry the following month, and Strong Suit is already shaping up like a likely candidate for the Coventry.

14th May 2010