Serva Jugum

Serva Jugum ran a nice race to finish second to Twice Over in a 10 and a half furlong conditions race at Doncaster on Wednesday. The slow early pace that Frankie Dettori set on Chock A Block wouldn’t have suited the son of Fusaichi Pegasus at all. He travelled well into the home straight, tracking Twice Over, who was tracking the leader, but he came under pressure from three furlongs out when the sprint for home began. Twice Over oozed class in front of him and easily beat Serva Jugum for pace but Paul Cole’s horse stuck to his task admirably. It looked like he was going to get left behind at one stage, but he kept on well and finished best of all to snatch second place from Chock A Block in the last 50 yards. You couldn’t have said that he would have beaten Twice Over had the pace been stronger, but that horse is a classy competitor who was second in last year’s Champion Stakes, was beaten a half a length in the Lockinge Stakes this year and was beaten less than a length in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on his penultimate run before Thursday, so there was no disgrace in finishing second to him, and you can mark the performance up a fair bit because of the slow pace. The time of the race was by far the slowest comparative time of the day, although it was the only race run on the round course. Martin Dwyer had difficulty pulling up the runner-up. He was just getting going by the time they reached the winning line.

This was just the fourth run of Serva Jugum’s life and he remains highly progressive. Winner of a conditions race on his racecourse debut at Kempton last October, he ran really well on his debut this season to finish fourth, just a length and a half behind Campanologist, in a Group 3 contest at Windsor at the end of August when he didn’t have much room inside the final two furlongs, and when he stayed on well at the end there as well. He is worth another chance, ideally over 10 furlongs with a stronger pace. He is entered in the Group 3 Breeders’ Cup trial race at Dundalk on 2nd October. He could face stern opposition there, but he should be worth a second look at the very least. He remains interesting wherever he goes next.

9th September 2009