Numide

Numide ran a fair bit better than the bare form of his third place finish behind Majaales in a two-mile handicap hurdle at Haydock on Saturday suggests. Jamie Moore took his horse wide down the back straight, obviously in search of better ground, when perhaps he may have been better off burying him in behind horses, given how freely Numide raced the whole way down that side of the track. He was five wide going around the home turn but still travelled like the winner over the second last, jumped that flight in front, went two clear and looked the most likely winner. Paddy Brennan moved over to the near side on Majaales to join him, and that horse went on to win well, beating Indian Groom into second place, and he was a good winner, but Numide would probably have been a fair bit closer to him if he had been ridden a little more patiently and in behind horses instead of racing on his own on the far side.

Winner of the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November 2008 off a mark of 124, and unlucky in the Ladbroke on his subsequent run off 132, Gary Moore’s horse has now dropped back down to a mark of 119, the mark off which he raced here, and there could be another pot in him off that mark. You will end up in the poor house following horses who have dropped back down to a mark off which they can win, but there was enough in this performance to suggest that Numide still retains a lot of his ability. He does need things to go right for him in his races, and he probably does need soft ground, but he is also probably better than his current rating, and he is worth keeping an eye on when he does have his conditions.

3rd April 2010