Shamshon

Shamshon put up a nice performance to win the five-furlong handicap at Newmarket on Thursday.

Settled nicely through the early stages of the race by Jim Crowley in fourth place of the group of six that raced towards the stands side, he travelled best of all through the race. He was the only horse who was still on the bridle as they raced inside the two-furlong marker. He needed a gap at that stage, he was just behind the front rank, but he got it when he moved towards the near side at the furlong pole and, when he did, he picked up nicely. It took him a little while to get there, but it always looked like he would. He finished well up the final incline and got up to win by a half a length from Top Boy and A Momentofmadness in a good time.

It was a fine performance by Stuart Williams’ horse. He travelled like the best horse through the race, and he finished off his race strongly. He is six and he has had plenty of racing, he is not obviously unexposed, but he only joined Williams at the start of this year, and he his last two runs have been good. He did well to get as close as he did from a wide draw and from off the pace at Sandown on his previous run.

The handicapper raised him by 3lb for Thursday’s win, but that just brings him up to a mark of 90, which is 3lb lower than the mark on which he started this season, and 13lb lower than his peak as a three-year-old. He was beaten less than two lengths in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes as a two-year-old, after which he ran in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, and he won a decent conditions race at York on his debut at three. He has back class. He will be interesting wherever he goes now. He is effective over six furlongs, but he is probably at his absolute best held up over the pace that they go over five. He is proven at Ascot and York and Newmarket and Haydock, and, while he has won on soft ground at Ascot, he is probably at his best on good or fast ground.

13th July 2017