Wobwobwob

Wobwobwob stepped forward again when he dropped back down in trip and landed the seven-furlong handicap at York on Wednesday. Fast away and handy from early, he travelled well for Tom Marquand up on the outside of leader Northern Express. About three parts of a length behind the leader at the three-furlong marker, he came under a ride from that point, but he found plenty for pressure. He joined Northern Express on the run to the furlong marker and, as Rifleman threw his chance away again by hanging to his left, he stayed on really strongly through the final furlong to win by four lengths from Northern Express, with another four lengths back to Rifleman in third.

This was a really likeable performance by Adrian Keatley’s horse. Winner of a nursery over six furlongs at Thirsk last September off a mark of 62, he stepped forward from that on his final run last season when, stepped up to seven furlongs, he won a better nursery at Newmarket off a mark of 73. His two runs this season before Wednesday were good, but a mile on fast ground seemed to find him out at the Craven meeting at Newmarket on his previous run, when he faded close home and finished third behind Bullace, a race from which the runner-up Crossford came out and won nicely since at the Guineas meeting off a 3lb higher mark. Wobwobwob appeared to appreciate the drop back down to seven furlongs here, and the move to easier ground. He obviously stays this trip well, and he was ridden accordingly by Tom Marquand, the first time that he rode him in a race. The handicapper raised him by 8lb for this to a mark of 88, but he is progressive, and he should be able to go on again from this. He is entered in the Silver Bowl at Haydock on Saturday, and he will be of interest if he lines up in that, especially if the ground comes up on the soft side. Looking further ahead, there is a seven-furlong handicap at Epsom on Derby weekend, and there is a three-year-olds’ handicap at Sandown the following week. Those two tracks should suit his forward-going style of racing.
York, 12^th May 2021