Finian’s Rainbow

Finian’s Rainbow was a really impressive winner of the Class 3 two-mile novices’ hurdle at Newbury on Saturday. He and favourite Sereth had it between them from as early as the top of the home straight, none of their rivals could match them for pace up to that point, and this wasn’t a bad race. The Barney Curley-trained Sereth set a fair standard. He was well backed before he finished third in the Cesarewitch a couple of months ago, and he had won on his hurdling debut at Huntingdon nine days previously, and he looked to be travelling slightly better going to the third last here, but Finian’s Rainbow took it up before the second last and galloped on really strongly over the last, despite landing flat-footed over that obstacle, which was really his only mistake, and up the run-in to win impressively. The Nicky Henderson-trained gelding would have won his only point-to-point in Ireland but for falling at the last, and he did win his only bumper at Kempton last March. That was his last start before this race. Although Henderson likes to have winners at the Hennessy meeting, and has his horses straight enough for it, Finian’s Rainbow is only six, he has now raced just three times, in a point-to-point, a bumper and now in a hurdle race, and he should go on again from this. He is a chaser in the making, but he could be a useful hurdler in the meantime, and he will get further than this two-mile trip. This was a tough test on the dead ground, and he stayed it really well.

28th November 2009