Garswood

Garswood was a really good winner of the European Free Handicap at Newmarket’s Craven meeting last week.

Well backed beforehand, he travelled like a good horse in behind, he was still cruising two furlongs out and he picked up impressively, readily getting past the leader Lucky Beggar when he was shaken up a furlong out, and he won with his ears pricked.

The Richard Fahey-trained colt was hugely progressive last year, he took another big step forward here on his first run at three, and he is a big horse who can only improve with time. He was dropped back to five furlongs last year in an effort to get him to grow up after two runs over six furlongs in maidens, and he seems to have improved for stepping up to seven furlongs for the first time here.

Although he didn’t clear away when he hit the front here, he did put the race to bed emphatically and quickly, and he was just idling badly late on rather than necessarily coming to the end of his tether. If his effort had been delayed a little longer, he could have been even more impressive. His breeding suggests that seven furlongs will be his optimum, but he seemed to finish with plenty in hand here, which gives him every chance of getting a mile. It would be harder to time his challenge in the 2000 Guineas, but a stronger pace should suit him even better, and he handled the Dip really well here, which obviously augurs well for the Guineas.

Tony Hamilton knows him well now, both horse and rider should have learned from this, the time was good, and he is a lively outsider for the Guineas.

17th April 2013