Eyewitness

Eyewitness ran out a good winner of the bumper at Naas on Saturday. Prominent from early, Gordon Elliott’s horse moved up nicely on the inside to dispute the lead as they raced down the back straight. He travelled well into the home straight and moved on at the three-furlong marker. Rider Jamie Codd didn’t ask him to pick up until they raced to the two-furlong marker and, when he did, the response was good. He quickly put three lengths between himself and his pursuers, and he stayed on well through the final furlong all the way to the line to win by four lengths in the end from Hashtag Watt, with Hunters Yarn another two lengths back in third.

There appeared to be plenty of market confidence behind both the second and the third horses in the pre-race market whereas, by contrast, Eyewitness was notably weak, drifting from morning prices of around 9/4 to an SP of 13/2. But he travelled like the most likely winner from a fair way out, and he found plenty when Jamie Codd went for him. He was no match for Willie Mullins’ impressive mare Belle Metal in another Naas bumper on his racecourse debut in January, when he was just beaten by Captain Conby for the runner-up spot, but this was a nice step forward from that, and he exacted his revenge on Captain Conby quite emphatically in the process. He is really well bred, he is a three-parts brother to Expert Eye, who won the Jersey Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Mile, out of a half-sister to dual Guineas winner Special Duty, and it is interesting that his trainer said that he could mix it now between flat and jumps. He should be better on better ground too, and he should continue to progress as he gains experience.
Naas, 13^th February 2021