Fantasy King

Despite being really weak in the market for what was his first run since December 2011, and his first run on turf since the 2011 Galway Festival, Fantasy King ran really well in the Irish Field Handicap at The Curragh on Sunday.

Charles O’Brien’s seven-year-old travelled well through his race in rear, he picked up impressively on the near side when taken wide, and he finished best of all to take second place, only just failing to catch Tantalising. He had closed up well coming to the three-furlong marker, he was still cruising in behind horses a furlong and a half out and he was only beaten a neck by a well-backed winner who was given an uncomplicated ride. The handicapper has raised just 2lb for this to a mark of 80, which is not harsh. That is still 5lb lower than his peak.

He stays further than this (he won a bumper on his racecourse debut and he won over two miles at Dundalk in November 2011) but the way he travels suggests a strong test at a mile and a half could be his optimum. He would be of interest again at this trip, or perhaps over a mile and three quarters as he did stay on all the way to the line here. He could be under-rated a little now as a seven-year-old. He is a relatively lightly-raced seven-year-old, this was just the 10th race of his life, just his sixth on turf and just his fourth under a professional rider, and he has the potential to progress a fair bit beyond a mark of 80.

7th April 2013