Farclas

Farclas ran a big race to finish second to his stable companion Run Wild Fred in the Troytown Chase at Navan on Sunday. Prominent from early, he was quickly into a nice racing and jumping rhythm for Jack Foley behind a decent pace that his stable companion set. He didn’t come under a ride until they jumped the fourth last fence and raced across the top of the track. Third at the top of the home straight, he stayed on well from there over the last three fences. It never looked like he would catch Run Wild Fred, but he stayed on up the hill to get the better of Mister Fogpatches for the runner-up spot.

It was a fine run by Gordon Elliott’s horse, on his first run back since the Kerry National at Listowel in September, a race in which he unseated his rider at the third last fence when he was travelling well. That was his first run since he had finished fifth in the Aintree Grand National, and that was a massive run for a seven-year-old. Seven-year-olds have a terrible record in the Grand National, so he did well to remain in contention until he started to tire from the second last fence. In contrast to seven-year-olds, eight-year-olds have a really good recent National record, winning the race four times in the last six renewals, and filling 10 of the 24 places available in those renewals. Farclas jumped the big fences really well last April, and there is every chance that the Grand National will be on his radar again this season. The Irish handicapper raised him by just 3lb for Sunday’s run to a mark of 151, and anything around that would be a good rating off which to compete in the Grand National, just 5lb higher than the mark off which he ran such a big race last year as a seven-year-old.
Navan, 21^st November 2021