Day Of Conquest

Day Of Conquest did really well to finish second in the Tatler Stakes, the seven-furlong three-year-old handicap at Goodwood on Thursday.

Apparently the third best of Richard Hannon’s trio, and weak in the market beforehand, he was held up out the back through the early stages of the race by Sean Levey. He picked up at the two-furlong pole and, pulled towards the outside, he finished best of all to take second place.

Like a lot of the races at Goodwood this week, this race was run to suit those who raced handily. The other three horses who, with him, filled the first four places, Safety Check, Ifwecan and Almargo, raced in first, second and third places from flagfall. Day Of Conquest was the only horse who raced in rear and who ever looked like he had a chance of winning.

This was the Major Cadeaux colt’s first run since last October, and it was his seasonal debut, so it is reasonable to expect that he will progress from it. The fact that Richard Hughes preferred Championship – and that Pat Dobbs apparently preferred the other Richard Hannon horse Magnus Maximus – and that he wasn’t strong in the market gives further credence to that notion.

Day Of Conquest won two of his five races last season, and he finished a close-up third in the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes on soft ground on his final run as a juvenile, progressing as the season developed and running well on soft ground, fast ground and Polytrack. He could come on significantly for Thursday’s run, and he will be of interest wherever he goes next.

31st July 2014