Alasi

Alasi ran a lot better than her finishing position in third place suggests in the two-mile mares’ hurdle at Wetherby on Saturday. Really weak in the market beforehand, she travelled and jumped well just behind the pace-setting Une Artiste, and it looked like she might go on and win when she took it up over the third last flight. However, she could not repel Cockney Sparrow who finished strongly, and she faded quite badly once she was passed, only just hanging on to third place, as lack of a run probably told.

This was still a really encouraging run by Paul Webber’s mare. Her weakness in the market suggested that she would probably come on for the run, and she was racing over the minimum trip, which is probably short of her best. She is probably more a two-and-a-half-mile mare now than a two-mile mare.

Fourth behind Quevega in the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2012, she disappointed in the same race last year, but she had beaten Champion Court and Domtaline in a three-runner graduation chase at Kempton on her final run before Cheltenham last term. Three-horse-race form can often be dubious, but she jumped well and she won on merit, picking up nicely from the second last fence and doing Champion Court for speed on the run-in. She has run just six times over fences, she still has scope for progression over the larger obstacles. She will be interesting now wherever she runs next. She should be able to build on her Wetherby run last Saturday, and she may be under-rated, especially over fences and over two and a half miles.

2nd November 2013