Misca Musca

Misca Musca really impressed with the manner in which he won the two-mile handicap hurdle at Navan at Sunday, travelling like the most likely winner from a long way out, and he can go on from this again.

Quietly backed beforehand, he travelled strongly up the inside behind the front four, and jumped fluently throughout. He was a little short of room at times as Odonimee also hugged the inside in front of him looking for better ground, but that one jumped out to his right over the last flight in the back straight, and that allowed Misca Musca to make ground. John Cullen found a nice gap on the rail turning in, he eased through to join the leader early in the home straight and jumped on over the third from home. He had opened up an advantage between the third last and second last flights, but was probably in front for longer than ideal in the really testing ground, though he found plenty for pressure both approaching the last and up the run-in as Lead Kindly Light tried to lay down a challenge. The winner was always in control though, and probably had a fair bit more left to give.

This was a big performance from a four-year-old in a handicap in these conditions. He is not a battle-hardened four-year-old either, he is not an ex-flat horse, this was just his fifth career run, all of them over hurdles. He may get a fair hike for this, but he has plenty more in him on this evidence, and he is starting life in handicaps from a lowly enough mark to carry on progressing. He may improve in time for stepping up in trip too, he saw out two miles on desperate ground really strongly here.

25th November 2012