Good Birthday

Good Birthday did well to finish third in the London Gold Cup, a race that looked like a red-hot race beforehand, as it usually is. Dropped in by Silvestre de Sousa early on from his outside draw, 15 of 15, he was last as they left the back straight, and he was still last as they straightened up for home. He moved toward the inside in order to get a clear run, and he picked up well to join the front rank on the far side at the 1f pole. He just appeared to get a little tired inside the final 1f, he just couldn’t sustain his run, but he had done a lot of running to get there, and he probably wasn’t racing on the best of the ground, against the inside rail, away from the centre of the track. He did well to finish third to two talented and progressive rivals, both of whom raced down the centre of the home straight.

Winner of a novice stakes at Newbury on his third and final run last season as a juvenile, Andrew Balding’s colt stepped forward on his debut this term when he won a 10-furlong handicap at Doncaster off a mark of 82. Raised by 8lb by the handicapper for that win, this was another step forward, and he should be able to progress again. The handicapper raised him by 5lb to a mark of 95, and that is not unfair. This was just his fifth ever run, so he has lots of potential to progress again.

Newbury, 18^th May 2019