Educate

Educate, having just his third run and his first in a handicap, ran a lot better than the bare form of his performance suggests in the mile-and-a-half handicap that concluded Newmarket’s July Meeting on Saturday. One of only two three-year-olds in the race, he raced keenly early on, expending crucial energy on the heavy ground, yet he still managed to make promising progress three furlongs out to arrive there just behind the leaders looking a danger. He was green after that though, he hung right and then left, effectively throwing his chance away, and Tadhg O’Shea wasn’t hard on him up the hill to the line once his winning chance had gone, with the result that he lost fourth place to the strong-finishing Star Date a hundred yards from home.

This was a race in which it was a real advantage to race on or close to the pace – John Louis made all and the second and third raced in third and fourth early on and then in second and third from a long way out. Educate was one of only two to really make any impression from off the pace, and he shaped well in getting into a challenging position on the near side, before his inexperience probably told.

Ismail Mohammed’s colt should be better again for this experience, and it may well be that he will improve for dropping back down in trip and/or for less taxing ground. He is by the now-deceased stallion Echo Of Light who, in his first crop and a half, has yet to produce a soft or heavy ground winner. Educate won his maiden in good style at Yarmouth on good to firm ground, and when the ground finally does get better again he could be able to improve significantly on this form.

14th July 2012