Accession

Accession ran out a game winner of the seven-furlong handicap at Newmarket on Saturday, and he continues to be an under-rated horse.

Settled nicely just behind the leaders and towards the near side by Martin Lane through the early stages of the race, he hit the front on the run to the furlong pole. He did have the run of the race to an extent, he was able to kick for home at the opportune point, on the run to the furlong pole, as Suzi’s Connoisseur and, to a lesser extent, Jack’s Revenge struggled to find racing room. However, this is his racing style, he is straightforward and he can be ridden simply, which is obviously a big advantage. Also, the really well-backed Jack’s Revenge was in the clear in plenty of time and, while he closed on Accession all the way to the line, it never really looked like he was going to get there.

There was a lot to like about this performance from Charlie Fellowes’ horse. He picked up impressively and he kept on really gamely in what was a strong race. Jack’s Revenge is a high-class handicapper over seven furlongs and a mile, and he was really well-fancied and really well-backed on Saturday, with Ryan Moore on board for the first time in 17 runs and over two years. Also, third-placed Suzi’s Connoisseur is a progressive three-year-old who could still have a decent handicap in him before the season is out. Accession beat the pair of them on merit, and he clocked a good time in the process.

He is the type of horse who will be under-rated by many. He is a prominent racer who appears to only just do enough. The four wins that he has recorded since he beat Glen Moss in a juveniles’ maiden in September 2011 have been gained by, respectively, a head, a half-length, a half-length and a neck. When he beat Foxtrot Romeo by a half-length on his penultimate run before this at Newbury in August, he left the impression that the bare form of the race under-estimated his performance, and he proved as much on Saturday. He was well beaten at Chester in the interim, but he was drawn wide that day, a negative that was compounded by the fact that he stumbled when leaving the stalls, so you can easily forgive him that run.

The handicapper raised him 5lb to a mark of 91 for Saturday’s win, but that still leaves him 5lb below his peak. He is five years old, and he has raced 25 times, he does not have an obviously progressive profile, but he seems to have re-discovered his old ability this season since he joined Charlie Fellowes, and he has been progressive in his last five runs in particular. He is still in the Challenge Cup at Ascot on Saturday, but that race might come a little quickly after last Saturday, and he did not run that well on his only previous visit to Ascot. Seven furlongs is his optimum trip though, and he will be of interest if he races over that trip between now and the end of the season.

27th September 2014