Dubawi Phantom

Bullet Train looked very good in winning the Lingfield Derby Trial on Saturday, but he did get the run of the race, he was allowed set his own pace and quicken from the ground. Of course, you have to have the ability to go with it, and Desert Myth wasn’t able to benefit from having the box seat on the rail just behind the winner, but I was much more taken with Dubawi Phantom’s run to finish second. Settled out the back of the field, last of the seven runners in the early stages, which really isn’t where you want to be when the pace is steady, he handled the turn and the descent really well. He was stuck for a little bit of racing room on the inside a furlong and a half out, with the result that Ahmed Ajtebi had to sit up on him for a couple of strides, but he picked up nicely when he got in the clear, moved into second place and was closing on the winner all the way to the line.

It is difficult to argue that the best horse on the day didn’t win the race, Bullet Train seemed to win with plenty in hand, he had been out on his own for a long way and he was entitled to idle, but it was still a fine run from Dubawi Phantom to take second place in a race that wasn’t run to suit, and it is a run that could go under the radar.

A busy juvenile last season, he was third in the Solario Stakes at Sandown, but his pedigree gave him every chance of improving for stepping up in trip, which he duly did. He is probably not up to Derby standard, but he will be interesting wherever he goes next. He will probably be under-rated.

8th May 2010