Tactician

Tactician put in another good performance to finish fifth in the 14 and a half-furlong Mallard Stakes at Doncaster on Friday. He dwelt coming out of the stalls and was consequently held up at the rear of the field, but he travelled well for rider Martin Lane, off what was only a steady pace set by Chiberta King. He was one of the first horses to come off the bridle in the straight, as the pace picked up significantly, but he did pick up, it took him a while to get going but when he did, he finished strongest of all, staying on into fifth place inside the final furlong.

The Michael Bell-trained colt may have been overlooked at an opening show of 14/1 here (eventually backed in to 10/1), perhaps because he had been seen as lucky to finish so close to Mount Athos, who was jostling for favouritism here, in the Melrose Stakes on their previous run, given that John Hills’s colt veered right across the track late on. But Tactician continues to progress, he had Mount Athos behind him here, and he looks as though he still needs further. He has raced just five times in his life now, and there could be much more to come, especially over further. He could prove to be significantly better than his handicap rating of 94.

10th September 2010