Directorship

Directorship followed up his win in a Class 4 handicap at Ascot in early July by winning the CGA Ladies Day Handicap at Newbury on Saturday. He travelled like a good horse in rear, picked up impressively on the near side, possibly the slowest part of the track, and came right through to take it up before keeping on well once he had hit the front to go on to a two-length win.

This was a decent race without being a great race, but the winner was well backed and won with plenty in hand, passing as many as 12 or 13 horses in just half a furlong. He has now put in two good performances in a row and is clearly in great heart at present. He showed on his previous run that he has a turn of foot, quickening to the front before idling once he got there and winning by just a head, and it was likeable the way he stayed on once he hit the front again here. As a five-year-old having his 20th start, he shouldn’t be obviously progressive, but he is in the form of his life. A 5lb hike leaves him on a mark of 91, which means that he is still eligible for another 0-95 handicap, and he won with so much in hand here that he should be capable of winning in this grade again, even off his higher mark.

He has been campaigned by Patrick Chammings almost exclusively over the last year and a half over a mile (he did run in the Cambridgeshire over nine furlongs last season) and it is surprising that connections have not even tried him over seven furlongs previously given the taking acceleration he has now shown on his last two starts, most noticeably here. In fact this was his first ever run at less than a mile as his two maiden runs at two both came over a mile. This certainly opens up a lot more options for him. Seven furlongs could be his optimum trip. It was his first time over the distance and he recorded his highest ever Racing Post Rating. Like many progeny of Diktat, although he does go well and has won on fast ground, he seemed to appreciate the ease in the ground here.

12th August 2011