Splendid Light

There was a lot to like about the performance that Splendid Light put up on his racecourse debut in a one-mile maiden at Newmarket on Friday. John Gosden’s colt travelled well on the far side and he came there with a dangerous-looking challenge just before they raced into the dip. He got his head in front at one stage and it looked as if he was going to make a winning debut, but he just seemed to get unbalanced after they came out of the dip, he put his head in the air a little and lost concentration, and he also wasn’t helped by El Muqbil running across him inside the final furlong. Nonetheless he was only just over two lengths away in the end and he gives the impression that there could be a lot more to come.

A son of Selkirk, Splendid Light comes mainly from a middle distance family, he is out of a Daylami mare, who herself was a useful type over middle distances, and it is significant that a lot of his sire’s progeny tend to get better as they mature. He showed plenty of promise here, he was just a bit green at the business end and he may also have been disadvantaged by racing on the far side of the track. The clerk of the course Michael Prosser said in the morning that the near side may have been slightly quicker, which is evidenced by the fact that the winner Argocat and the third Suhaili both finished well on the near side. Argocat and runner-up, the well-fancied El Muqbil, also had the experience of two runs coming into this, while Suhaili looks like a promising sort for Michael Jarvis, given his breeding and fancy entries for next season. Splendid Light also holds a Derby entry, which shows the high regard in which connections may hold him, and he looks like one to keep an eye on next season.

15th October 2010