Minella Boys

Minella Boys put up a decent performance to finish second to West End Rocker in a gruelling Grade 3 three-mile-five-furlong handicap chase at Warwick on Saturday. He travelled really well most of the way for his jockey Felix De Giles, just held up in around mid division. He made nice ground up to the leaders as they set out on their final circuit, and he was just getting interested when he made a significant error at the first fence down the far side, which just halted his momentum for a few strides. He was pushed along from there but there was a lot to like about the way he rallied and picked up well to challenge West End Rocker in the straight. He was alongside Alan King’s runner at the second last and he got closer to him again at the last, but he just couldn’t get the better of him on the run-in.

This was a more than decent effort from the son of Bob’s Return. The time of the race was good, and he finished second to a really good horse on the upgrade in West End Rocker, with the pair of them pulling clear of their field. He was wearing cheekpieces again here, he had them on for the first time when he won the Sussex National at Plumpton on his previous start, after which Charlie Longsdon said that he is a horse who needs extreme distances on extreme ground. He will be interesting in a similar contest to this next time, perhaps the Eider Chase at Newcastle. This was only his seventh start over fences, so he still has room to progress over these distances and in with the cheekpieces on again.

15th January 2011