Leviathan

Leviathan posted by far his best effort of the season in finishing a fast-closing second in a 0-100 three-year-old handicap on the first day of the St Leger meeting at Doncaster on Wednesday. He travelled well, several lengths off the pace, and finished best of all on the near side, despite having to do a lot of racing on his own, with the action developing middle to far side, only just failing to catch Navajo Chief, with Micky Fenton not being overly hard on him. The winner had run really well to be placed in an all-aged handicap at the Ebor Festival on his previous run, and Leviathan’s effort here can be marked up a fair bit, given that he was disadvantaged by being held up off what was only a steady pace, with both the first and third racing prominently throughout.

Having finished a decent two-year-old campaign by winning a nursery at this track off 82, beating Yaa Wayl, who has gone on to win a Listed race as a three-year-old. Leviathan is progressing from run to run this season since he made his seasonal debut in August. He didn’t seem to handle the kickback on that debut in a brutally-run race at Southwell, before appearing to still just need the run at Newmarket behind the back-to-form Bullwhip. This run was a clear signal that he is coming back to the form that he was in last year and he should be able to go on from this. There is also the distinct possibility that softer ground will suit him better. Tom Tate’s yard often does better in the autumn and this is a horse to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.

8th September 2010