Roaring Forte

Roaring Forte ran out an impressive winner of the really competitive Class 2 mile handicap, the Addleshaw Goddard Stakes, at York on Thursday. It is difficult to win these big-field handicaps from the front, even at York, which is usually condusive to front-running tactics, and even though there was a tail wind up the home straigth helping the leaders, especially when you don’t get your own way up front, which Roaring Forte really didn’t. Well away from his wide draw in stall 14, Johnny Murtagh quickly had crossed over to race one off the rail on the outside of fellow pace-setter Alazeyab. The pair matched each other stride for stride at a fair pace actually until they reached the two-furlong pole. Roaring Forte travelled reallay well to that point and when Murtagh asked him to pick up from the front, the response was impressive. The well fancied and progressive horse Acrostic tracked Roaring Forte into the straight, and Richard Hughes asked him to pick up around about the same time as Murtagh went for Roaring Forte. Although Acrostic picked up nicely, and saw him go down by just a short head for the runner-up spot, he couldn’t match Roaring Forte’s pace, and the winner won with a lot more in hand than the two-length winning margin.

This was just Roaring Forte’s third run of the season. He was impressive in making all in a seven-furlong handicap at Newmarket in May, and then was withdrawn at the start when well fancied for the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot before he disappointed in the Abu Dhabi International, when there was so much pace in the race that all the front-runners were disadvantaged. He proved here that he stays a mile, and, on this evidence, he could possibly even get a little further. The handicapper will give him a fair whack for this, but he is most progressive and he should be followed now wherever he goes next.

20th August 2009