Bell Rock

Bell Rock put up a good performance to finish second to Artistic Rifles in the Group 3 Superior Mile at Haydock last Saturday. Smartly away and settled nicely in second place behind the ultimate winner, he got a little outpaced when Andrea Atzeni on Artistic Rifles increased the pace a little at the three-furlong marker. It looked like he was going to fade out of it as My Oberon moved up on his inside and Maydanny challenged on his outside, and he actually ceded second place to the former as they raced to the furlong marker, but he stayed on well from there. He got back past My Oberon into second place, and he closed on Artistic Rifles all the way to the line, going down by just over a length in the end.

It was another good run by Andrew Balding’s horse, a step forward from his good run in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York’s Ebor meeting. A mile is probably not a stiff enough test for him, for all that he has won over the trip, and he should be worth another go over 10 furlongs. He ran well on his only run over that distance in finishing third behind Maydanny in a handicap at Goodwood last year. He holds an entry in a listed race over a mile at Sandown on Wednesday, and he holds an entry in the Group 2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket on Cambridgeshire weekend, but he also holds an entry in the Cambridgeshire itself, and he will be of greatest interest if he takes up that one. A strongly-run nine furlongs could be ideal for him, and he goes particularly well on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket, as evidenced by form figures of 1131.
Haydock, 4^th September 2021