Little George

There was a lot to like about Little George’s performance on his chasing debut, where he finished really well to take a competitive two-and-a-quarter-mile handicap chase at Newbury on Thursday. Held up in the rear of the field, off a fairly decent pace, he travelled well and jumped okay for Wayne Hutchinson through early stages. He began to make gradual headway down the back, and he still looked to be travelling okay before they turned for home, but the leader Mam Ratagan was travelling and jumping well in front, and after a slow jump at the third last, Alan King’s horse looked beaten back in fourth place. But it was from here that he began to pick up and respond to his rider’s urgings. He was always making ground on the leaders after the second-last fence and his stamina really kicked in on the run-in, where he collared and passed Lordsbridge and Mam Ratagan only in the final 75 yards to win going away.

This was a pleasing debut over fences from Little George, and he should be able to build on this now. He only had one novice hurdle win to his name previous to this, but Alan King’s string never got going last season, the stable was under a cloud for nearly the whole season so it could be that he has a host of well-handicapped horses now. This could be one of them, and even given the fact that the stable had been in bad form, it was probable that Little George was always going to make a better chaser anyway. The son of Heron Island is the biggest horse in King’s stable at just over 17 hands and he took to his fences well here. It did suit for him to be out the back early on off a fast pace, but it’s likely that this trip was on the sharp side for him, it wasn’t until after the final fence that his stamina really kicked in. Little George will be of interest now stepped up in trip. The handicapper has raised him 8lb for this which is fair enough, and given that he is still lightly-raced for a seven-year-old, he should progress with more experience.

26th November 2010