Ghalyoon

Ghalyoon did well to finish third in the six-and-a-half-furlong handicap. Held up early on at the rear of the field, they didn’t go a great pace early on, and the Invincible Spirit gelding went freely through the first two furlongs. Moved towards the far side when they quickened, he had plenty of ground to make up on the leaders, but he picked up well and ran all the way to the line, against the inside rail, which may not have been the ideal place to be on the track.

Ghalyoon is five now, but this was just his fifth race. Raced once as a three-year-old when he was with John Gosden, he ran well on his debut last season, his first run for Marcus Tregoning, in finishing second in a Newmarket maiden last June, and he stepped up on that the following month in winning a novice stakes over seven furlongs at Salisbury when he beat Saturday’s listed race winner Posted by a half a length. He didn’t run again last season, but he put up a good performance on his debut this season at Doncaster, his first run after a wind operation, to finish second to Magical Wish, who only just failed to follow up at Goodwood next time. He raced off a mark of 87 that day on his handicap debut. He raced off a mark of 88 on Friday, and the handicapper raised him by 2lb for that run, but he has the potential to go higher than his new mark of 90. He holds an entry in a seven-furlong handicap at Newmarket on Saturday, and he will be of interest wherever he goes next.

Doncaster, 11^th September 2020