Escaria Ten

The other horse to take out of the Thyestes Chase was Coko Beach’s stable companion Escaria Ten. He made a bad mistake at the first fence, which left him further back in the field than ideal. He travelled well through his race though, towards the rear of the field and wide. He was a little slow at the fifth last fence, the last in the back straight, and he came under a ride, but he came back on the bridle over the fourth last fence, and he made good ground to move in behind the leaders and travelling well at the top of the home straight along the inside. He came under a ride at the third last, he was one of six horses who broke away from the rest of the field at that point, and he looked a real threat, but a slow jump at the second last fence ended any chance he had of winning the race, and he weakened from there, eventually finishing only eighth in the end, 24 lengths behind the winner Longhouse Poet.

This was Escaria Ten’s seasonal debut, it was his first run since he was pulled up in the Irish Grand National last April, so he was entitled to tire late on. But he ran really well, much better than his finishing position suggests. It was just his sixth chase too, he still has scope for progression as a staying chaser, and this mark of 151 could be well within range. A close-up third behind Galvin and Next Destination in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham last March, he has a touch of class, and he will be of interest wherever he goes next.
Gowran Park, 27^th January 2022