Waterclock

Waterclock ran a huge race to finish second in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket on Saturday, given how the race was run. They went really hard from early on in the two-and-a-quarter mile contest, and they kicked for home from fully four furlongs out. The manner in which the race was run played right into the hands of the hold-up horses, yet Roger Charlton’s horse was handy throughout.

Not only that, but he got caught a little in traffic on the far side two furlongs out as the finishers came down the near side. He was actually probably passed by the finishers down the centre of the track as he tried to extricate himself from traffic on the far side, and he had to get out after them again. When he did, he finished really well to get back up for second place.

Almost all the protagonists were held up. The 66/1 winner Scatter Dice was left at least five lengths at the start, while the horses who filled the placed from third to eighth were all held up. Waterclock was the only horse who raced handily who managed to finish in the first eight, and he finished second. Also, it is not conclusive, but it is likely that he was racing on the worst of the ground on the far side. All the riders wanted to come down the centre of the track, and the stands-side horses may have had an advantage in the shorter race.

This was just Waterclock’s seventh ever race. He has obviously had his problems, he raced just once as a juvenile and once more as a three-year-old, but he has progressed for each of his five runs this season as a four-year-old, and there is every reason to expect that he can progress again. The handicapper has raised him just 3lb for this, to a mark of 91, which appears to be really lenient, and he has the scope to go a fair way beyond that mark. He will be of interest if he runs again this season, and he could be a really interesting stayer for 2014.

12th October 2013