Sequoiaspirit

Sequoiaspirit can be marked up a fair bit on the bare form of the performance that he put up in finishing fourth in the 10-furlong apprentices’ handicap at Naas on Sunday. He was squeezed out of it a little as the field tightened up after they had gone a furlong, and rider Conor Clarke did well not to go out the side door, but he lost his iron, and the horse hit a piece of rail. Back on an even keel, Sequoiaspirit travelled well into the home straight on the inside, and he made nice progress towards the leaders on the far side on the run to the two-furlong marker. His run just flattened out inside the final furlong, and the first three horses got away from him a little but he kept on well on the far side to finish a clear fourth.

It was an admirable performance by Ray Hackett’s horse on his first run back after a short break. He won his last three races before that break, over 11 and 11 and a half and 12 and a half furlongs, rising from a handicap rating of 50 to a handicap rating of 67 in the process. He proved on Sunday that his new mark of 67 is well within range, and he should do even better stepped up in trip. He is in a 12-furlong handicap at Galway on Monday, and he will be of interest if he takes up his entry in that.
Naas, 17^th October 2021