Call Me Lord

Call Me Lord is nine now, and he has raced 23 times over hurdles, but there could still be a big prize in him, based on the evidence of Saturday’s run in finishing third in the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton. Settled in mid-division early on and along the inside, he travelled really well through his race for James Bowen. He moved up nicely around the home turn, travelling as well as any of his rivals and, although the leaders got away from him a little on the run to the second last flight, he stayed on well from there to take third place, just getting up to take that place from Gelino Bello close home, and just a length and a half behind the runner-up Highway One O Two.

This was a race in which the pace held up well. Three of the first four home raced prominently, with Call Me Lord doing best of the horses who raced in mid-division or worse. Also, this was his first run over hurdles since he finished third in a Grade 2 contest at Sandown last April. His first two runs this season were both over fences, but it wasn’t really happening for him over the larger obstacles, so it was an astute move by Nicky Henderson to go back over hurdles. it is a move that could pay dividends now too. He was racing off a handicap rating of 144 on Saturday, 16lb lower than his peak, and he will be of interest again now in another good handicap hurdle off that type of mark. His best runs have been at Sandown, and he also goes well at Ascot, so he will be of particular interest if and when he returns to one of those tracks.
Kempton, 15^th January 2022