Extraterrestrial

It is always difficult to know what to do when you are drawn low over a mile at Kempton. Frederik Tylicky decided to allow Extraterrestrial pop out slowly and decided to tuck in at the back of the field in the early stages. When you do that, you want a fast early pace, which didn’t really materialise for Tylicki as the main body of the field allowed Samarinda plenty of rope at the head of affairs. Still last going around the home turn, Extraterrestrial made progress the whole way up the home straight and, while he was never really getting to the winner, he stayed on well to just snatch third place on the line.

Richard Fahey’s gelding hasn’t won since he won the Thirsk Hunt Cup last May, but this was as good a performance as he has put in since then, and it would be surprising if his trainer didn’t have that race in mind for him again. He has won once and finished second once in two visits to Thirsk and, even off a mark of 95, 9lb higher than he was for the race last year, he can go close again if he takes his chance in that race.

11th April 2009