Cannington Brook

Cannington Brook ran a most encouraging race in the three-mile novices’ chase at Cheltenham on Saturday, his first race for the season and his first over fences for nearly a year. He was well backed beforehand and travelled powerfully out the back, albeit probably a bit too keenly. He was still going well and looking a threat running down the hill coming to the third last, but just got slightly outpaced when the principals turned the screw having jumped that fence and Joe Tizzard wasn’t hard on him after that.

While he would have been only fifth if Chicago Grey hadn’t fallen at the second last and bought down Beshabar, this was still a most encouraging performance in a really hot race, and he did in fact run on quite well up the run-in to be beaten just over eight lengths having looked like he could end up 20 or so lengths behind the winner as he cleared the last.

There is plenty of room for improvement in his jumping, but Colin Tizzard’s charge clearly has an engine as he travelled very well here. It was a similar story in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree last April – a hot race in which he finished third behind Wayward Prince and Western Leader – where he travelled like a potential winner entering the straight (better than Wayward Prince) but then came under pressure quite quickly coming to the last before running on again after it. He may well prove better if dropped down slightly in trip on the evidence of his two latest runs, although he can be excused this run, he may have just needed it, especially on tacky ground against race-fit rivals. Either way, he has raced just six times in his life, just three times over fences, he is only six and he will be of interest wherever he goes next. He is another exciting horse for Colin Tizzard this season.

13th November 2010