Judgement Day

Judgement Day did well to finish third behind Robin Des Foret and Westerner Point in the two-and-a-half-mile chase at Clonmel last Tuesday. Held up in behind the leaders early on, he struggled a little to lie up with the first three, Richie Deegan had to niggle him along as they raced down the back straight. About five lengths behind the leading trio as they left the back straight, he closed a little at the top of the home straight and, while he lost ground on the run to the second last fence, he kept on well from there. It never looked like he was going to get to Robin Des Foret and Westerner Point, but he stayed on well to get to within five and a half lengths of them by the time they reached the winning line.

The Martaline gelding was a progressive staying chaser as a novice. Trained by Henry de Bromhead then and owned by Gigginstown House, he ran up a hat-trick of victories in the autumn of 2018 on good ground, he reached a peak rating of 139, and he was sent off at just 10/1 for the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival that season that Delta Work won. He has obviously had his issues, he has had long spells on the sidelines and he was sold by Gigginstown House for £5,000 at Doncaster last September, but he shaped encouragingly over hurdles on his first run for Paul McEnery at Leopardstown in March, when he finished second in a three-horse race behind Mouse Morris’ talented hurdler French Dynamite.

He was running in a chase on Tuesday for the first time since he finished 12th in the Midlands National at Kilbeggan last July, and there is every chance that he will progress from it. He should also improve as the ground improves, and he should do better for a step back up to three miles. He is nine now, but he has raced just eight times over fences, so there could still be a day or two in him.
Clonmel, 23^rd March 2021