8th-Oct-2011

Sirius Prospect is the one horse who could still be some way ahead of the handicapper, and he is worth backing at 10/1. Dean Ivory’s horse has looked a horse of considerable potential on his last two runs, smoothly coming through some way out and finding plenty at Doncaster over six and a half furlongs on his penultimate run before he ran at Ascot last Friday, back down against his own age group. He missed the break there, he was half-rearing as the stalls opened and lost three or four lengths, but he was still able to pick up the useful Elusivity inside the final furlong after that one had kicked on entering the final furlong.

He was well on top at by the finish, the second had more than a length in hand of the third at the line, and there was a big gap, more than six lengths, back to the rest. Elusivity is a good horse himself, he has improved for the step back to six furlongs of late, and it was probably a big effort from Sirius Prospect to beat him.

Interestingly, Dean Ivory said after he won at Doncaster that he would take his time with the horse and not rush him this year, aware of the considerable potential the horse possesses. That being the case, it is probably significant that he is running the horse back here so soon off his new 7lb higher mark. The trainer said yesterday that he has never had his horse in better form, and Sirius Prospect looks set to run another big race today. Stall 19 may not be ideal given that he likes to be dropped in, but even with that, 10/1 is more than fair.

SIRIUS PROSPECT WON (ADV 10/1, SP 13/2)