Youngstown

Youngstown took the eye for much of the Class 2 0-145 handicap chase at Sandown last Saturday over the extended three miles. Settled just behind the leaders early on, he jumped really well and moved up to be a close-up third travelling well going past the stands first time round. He closed up threateningly approaching the railway fences, but the leader Nicto De Beauchene jumped them slightly quicker and poured the pressure on on the run out of the back straight. The fast pace and very testing ground just seemed to find Youngstown out and he was soon back a tired fourth as the jumped the Pond Fence, but he did dig in and stay on to the line for fourth.

Even though most of his form has come on soft or heavy ground, Youngstown is not an overly big horse and doesn’t have a particularly soft ground action so the severe stamina test that this race turned out to be may not have entirely suited (the runners were spread out over the Esher course like washing up the straight with a long gap to the three other finishers). Alternatively, it may just be that he has not yet recaptured his best form this season, the sort of form that saw him raised a stone in the handicap last season. His previous run at Market Rasen was not a bad effort at all as the winner followed up off a 5lb higher mark next time. Youngstown is worth another chance though after this, as he seemed to travel powerfully for the first two and a half miles of this race and jump with real alacrity. As a bonus, the handicapper has dropped a further 4lb to a mark of 118. He should be able to take advantage of that mark before long.

8th January 2011