Divine

Divine was unlucky not to go close to winning the six-furlong listed fillies’ race at Newmarket on Saturday. Always travelling well for Silvestre de Sousa on the far side, just behind the two Cheveley Park fillies Effectual and Lacing, she needed one of them to drop away at the two-furlong pole in order to get a gap through which she could deliver her challenge. Lacing did come under pressure, but she kept on well enough on the far rail to ensure that there was no gap for Divine, so de Sousa had to take his filly back, switch her to the near side of Enlacing, and ask her to go forward. You would have understood it if she hadn’t picked up then, given that her momentum had been checked through switching to her left, but she did. Mistrusting had set up a race-winning advantage out in the centre of the track, but Divine finished best of all on the far side to get up for third place. It is impossible to know how she would have fared had she had a clear run, but it is not stretching it to say that it is probable that she would have won.

This was a competitive race, with a lot of unexposed fillies seeking black type. Divine was weak in the market in the morning, but she was strong on track, and she ran accordingly. She had disappointed on her previous run, but that was over an inadequate five furlongs at Ascot, and it was against the boys under a penalty. She was much happier here back over six furlongs and back against fillies, she ran a cracker, and her effort is even more noteworthy, given that she was conceding a 3lb penalty. She will be of interest wherever she runs next but, although she has won on easy ground, she probably doesn’t want the ground to be too soft, so we may have to wait until next season now.

10^th October 2015