Elusivity

Elusivity didn’t have the run of the race at all in the Group 3 Coral Charge over five furlongs on Eclipse day at Sandown on Saturday and he did well to finish as close as he did in the circumstances.

He broke alertly from stall one in first-time blinkers but, rather than adopting a position on the rail just in behind the pace-setting Judge ‘N Jury, he soon gave up what was a really good draw by not moving forward and he was quickly squeezed out of it by Spirit Quartz and shuffled back. He had very little chance from where he ended up, right back on the inside, he had to switch out very wide to challenge, from where he finished well but far too late.

This was his first time wearing blinkers, it seemed beforehand as though they were being employed to get Elusivity to jump out of the stalls and take up a more prominent position than usual, but that was not the case. Nevertheless the horse seemed to take to the blinkers well enough, and he will be of interest wherever he goes next, ideally on easy ground again, and ideally back at a track that favours hold-up horses in sprints. Ascot or Newmarket’s Rowley Mile track both fit that description and Elusivity has run well at both tracks before.

Brian Meehan’s horse was nicely progressive and consistent last season as a three-year-old and he has shaped really well on a couple of occasions now this season in Group company, notable when a close third to Mayson and Definightly in the Palace House Stakes at the Guineas meeting at Newmarket. The ground was probably too fast for him in the Temple Stakes after that, he is well suited to an ease in the ground, he ran better than the bare result in the Wokingham, being forced into the middle of the track late on as Waffle came through with his challenge, and he remains a horse on the up. He may well be under-rated again after this, but he may have a decent race in him when conditions are right.

7th July 2012