Walhaan

Walhaan ran better than the bare form of the run suggests in the Cambridgeshire, from stall one and racing on the far side in a race that was dominated by those who raced on the near side. The first three home, and five of the first six home, were drawn in the 20s, and the first 12 home all raced towards the near side. Walhaan finished 13th, first on the far side. Drawn in stall one, David Egan had no real option other than to remain on the far side. He travelled well up with the leaders in the small group of seven that remained on the far side and, while it was obvious from a fair way out that the near side had it, Ian Williams’ horse stayed on well on the far side to beat his six rivals over there, including the Clipper Logistics Handicap 1-2, Montatham and Sir Busker, who had finished second in the Group 2 Celebration Mile on his previous run.

Walhaan remains an interesting horse. A dual winner in France for Jean-Claude Rouget, he out-ran odds of 100/1 when he finished second behind River Nymph at Ascot in July on his third run for Ian Williams, and he ran well from a wide draw and after a slow start behind Montatham and Sir Busker in that Clipper Logistics Handicap at York’s Ebor meeting in August. He holds an entry in the Balmoral Handicap at Ascot on Champions’ Day. His mark of 92 may not be high enough to get him into the race, which is a pity, because he would be of interest if he did happen to get in, he goes well on soft ground and he has run well twice on Ascot’s straight track, but he will be of interest wherever he goes next.

Newmarket, 26^th September 2020