Fastnet Crown

Fastnet Crown put up a big performance to finish fifth in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket on Saturday. Slowly away from stall 14, he was settled towards the rear of the far side group early on by Leigh Roche. Still almost last of the far side group as they passed the three-furlong marker, he made good ground up on the outside of that group as they raced to the two-furlong pole, and he picked up well when his rider asked him to. It wasn’t ideal that he raced in the far side group, in a race in which the first three home raced on the near side, nor was it ideal that he was forced out towards the centre of the track from that group, probably onto the worst of the ground. For all of that, he kept on well down the centre to take fifth place, less than four lengths behind the winner.

It was another good run by Michael O’Callaghan’s horse, over another distance. Winner of a competitive handicap over six furlongs at The Curragh in June, he kept on well at the end of a mile in the Irish Cambridgeshire back at The Curragh four weeks earlier to finish third. He was racing off a mark of 93 on Saturday, over nine furlongs, 2lb higher than his Irish Cambridgeshire mark, but he proved that he was at least up to this type of mark. It may be that he will be better dropped back down to a mile now, a mile is probably his optimum trip and, while he goes particularly well at The Curragh, he will be of interest wherever he goes next.
Newmarket, 25^th September 2021