Tangerine Trees

Tangerine Trees proved that his shock win in a conditions event at Beverley two weeks ago was no fluke with another good front-running performance in a five-furlong listed race at Newmarket on Thursday. He was a bit steady at the start here, he didn’t get away like he did at Beverley, but he soon got the lead just after a furlong and he travelled well from then on. He had the entire eight-runner field in trouble over two furlongs out with no horse travelling as well as he was, and he picked up well to deal with the dangerous-looking challenge of Tax Free. He responded grittily when the Dandy Nicholls-trained horse came at him and he never really looked likely to be headed, holding on to win by a neck in the end.

This was Tangerine Trees’s fifth win from eight starts so far this season. He is a six-year-old, but he seems to be still progressing. Also, he proved here that he could handle easy ground well, conditions in which he hadn’t excelled in the past. He is in the form of his life now, he was sent off a 33/1 shot for his previous run, where he had over a stone and a half to find with the likes of Captain Dunne and Tax Free on official ratings, but he was good value for his win that day and he proved that here again today – meeting Tax Free on the same terms again. He may have benefitted from the visor he wore again, he wore it at Beverley as well which was the first time he did since his three-year-old days, and he also may have benefitted from a mid-season break, he was off for 77 days before his previous run. He could be a Group horse now, he is in the form of his life, and he will be very interesting if Bryan Smart finds another race for him before the end of this season.

30th September 2010