Big Time

Big Time did really well to get as close as he did in the Goodwood Revival 7f Handicap on Saturday. In mid-division as they rounded their only turn, he got caught a little on heels and stumbled, doing well to stay on his feet. The incident can’t have helped, but he still travelled well from there, he travelled really well in behind horses to the 3f marker. Just behind ultimate winner Certificate at the 2f pole, he picked up among traffic and, although he was tight for room 1f out, he kept on well all the way to the line to finish third, beaten a total of three parts of a length.

Kevin Ryan’s horse is on a serious upward trajectory now. Winner of a five-runner claimer at Epsom on his final run for Dandy Nicholls in July, he was raised 7lb for that, but he proved here that he was well worth his rating of 95. He has been raised another 3lb for Saturday’s performance, but a mark of 98 should be well within his range. This seven furlongs is a good trip for him, but he would also be interesting dropped back down to 6f, the distance over which he won his maiden as a juvenile, and finished second in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes when he was with John Murphy in Ireland. He is a classy horse, and he could be a well handicapped horse now – he was rated 114 at the end of his juvenile year – as he shows signs of coming back to his peak. He is probably at his best on fast ground.

27^th August 2016