Horses To Follow » Flying Pursuit

Flying Pursuit

Flying Pursuit ran a lot better than his finishing position suggests in the Silver Cup at Ayr on Saturday. Drawn in stall 22 of 25, right on the near side, on a day and at a meeting on which and at which the far side appeared to have a significant advantage, he had to make his way over towards the centre from flagfall. Racing towards the near side of the far side group, he made nice progress from the three-furlong pole, and he finished off his race really well for David Allan, to be closest at the finish.

To put his run from his draw into context, the horses who raced from stalls 23, 24 and 25 raced towards the near side and finished, respectively, 23rd, 24th and 25th. Flying Pursuit finished ninth from stall 22.

Tim Easterby’s horse only finished ninth, but he was beaten less than three lengths in total, and he can be marked up a fair bit on the bare form of this run. Also, it was his first run in blinkers, he probably improved for them.

He is rated 2lb higher now on a mark of 93, but that is reasonable, he can be surely marked up by more than that, and he will be of interest wherever he goes next off that mark. He does hold an entry in the six-furlong handicap at Ripon on Saturday, and that is interesting. Ripon is one of those tracks at which course form is more important than it is at others, and Flying Pursuit has good course form. In three runs there he has won twice and finished second once, and all three runs were over six furlongs.

17th September 2016