Day Of Destiny

Day Of Destiny could be worth following after his effort in a competitive two-mile handicap hurdle at Down Royal on Saturday. He travelled and jumped well out the back for Phillip Enright, and made good ground up to the leaders to take a closer order just before the third-last. He seemed to be still travelling as well as anything else was at this stage, but he just got stuck in a pocket in between Vivaldi on his inside and the favourite Doctor Deejay on his outside and so ended up getting squeezed up and shuffled back. Enright had to move him to the right to get a run and it was here that he began to come under pressure. But he still looked to be picking up well for it, before he dived at the second-last, and took a fairly bad fall.

It’s difficult to say that Day Of Destiny would have won this had he stayed up, but he looked set to mount a challenge and he could be a bit under-rated after this now, as it may have looked like his chance had gone at the time. It was a fairly decent race, with progressive sorts Doctor Deejay, Time Machine and Asigh Pearl, who was well beaten here, lining up, while the winner Montan has the look of a typically well-handicapped Tony Martin horse. Time Machine did disappoint subsequently at Punchestown on Sunday, but the sixth horse from Down Royal, Sea Change, ran well to finish fourth in that race.

Day Of Destiny has only had five starts over hurdles. Once-raced on the flat for Barry Hills, he had disappointed on his first two attempts last year, but he travelled and settled much better when winning a Fairyhouse maiden well before going on to finish third to the high-class Arvika Ligeonniere in a good novices’ hurdle at Punchestown. There was a lot to like about the way he travelled here and there could be a lot more to come from him off his current mark of 126. The son of Clodovil had a prep run on the flat before this, so he should be spot on fitness-wise now, and if he comes out of this okay after his fall, he will be of interest in another handicap hurdle next time.

6th November 2010