Noble Seal

Noble Seal was unlucky not to finish closer than he did in the one-mile handicap that opened proceedings at Galway on Sunday.  Smartly away form stall six, he had to be ridden along a little by Ronan Whelan on the run to the first turn in order to hold his position just behind the leaders and along the inside.  He travelled well though down the hill, in about sixth place and along the inside, and he went to angle out as they raced to the home turn, but he was held in by Ten Ten Twenty around the home turn, and he just couldn’t get a gap thereafter.  He went to go outside Chavajod as they straightened up and, when that gap closed, he went to go inside, but he never really got a gap, and he just kept on along the inside to finish fourth, beaten a length and a half by the winner Church Mountain, who made just about all the running.

This was another good run by Tony Martin’s horse, in a race from which the runner-up Ten Ten Twenty came out and won at Sligo on Wednesday. He hasn’t won yet, but his previous two runs had been good, and he continues in good form. This was just his ninth race, just his fifth for Tony Martin, and he should be able to win a handicap soon over a mile or nine furlongs off this type of mark in the high 60s.
Galway, 1^st August 2021