Alfathaa

Alfathaa was one of the few who ran an eye-catching race in the Hunt Cup on Wednesday. Drawn in stall 16, he tacked over towards the stands side. He raced well in rear through the early stages – he was still third last as they passed the three-furlong pole as Johnny Murtagh was going for home on Forgotten Voice – and he was picking up nicely when he got checked in his run a furlong and a half out. Switched towards the middle of the track and subjected to a bit of bumping and boring, he finished better than anything to snatch fifth place inside the final 100 yards.

This was Alfathaa’s seasonal debut. He was a really promising juvenile, winning his maiden at Newbury by five lengths and only beaten a length and a half by City Leader in a bunch finish to the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes. Thought good enough to contest the Guineas last year, he never really progressed as a three-year-old, but he is a gelding now and this was much more like it. He is by Nayef, and should progress from this now. He stayed this strongly-run mile well, and he stayed a mile well as a juvenile, so he could do even better if stepped up to 10 furlongs. He is worth bearing in mind for the future now.

17th June 2009