Robin Of Navan

Robin Of Navan didn’t have much luck in-running in the 1m handicap. Harry Dunlop’s horse travelled well through his race in behind horses, but they didn’t go a great pace, they raced in a tightly-packed bunch until late, and he just couldn’t get any racing room. He had a wall of horses in front of him at the 2f marker when Ryan Moore wanted to go forward. We don’t know if he would have got there or not, but he travelled like a horse who had plenty to give. He was still hard on the bridle, seeking racing room, when every other rider was hard at work. Eventually he switched to the near side, but the race had gone at that stage, and his rider wasn’t hard on him once it was obvious that he couldn’t win. He just kept on to finish seventh behind Breden and Thrave.

It may be worthwhile retaining faith in the son of American Post. This was his first handicap and, winner of the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud as a juvenile and second in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan as a four-year-old, he remains potentially well handicapped on a mark of 105. He could be a horse for the Royal Hunt Cup. A fast-run stiff mile in a big field could suit him well, and he ran well to finish third behind Zaaki and the returning Barney Roy – who won a listed race at Longchamp on Thursday – in a listed race over the Hunt Cup course and distance earlier this month on his only run to date at Ascot.

Newbury, 18^th May 2019