Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix did well to win the one-mile three-year-olds’ handicap at Haydock last Saturday, coming from the rear and coming wide, as he did, on a day on which it appeared to be an advantage to race prominently and along the inside. Held up early on by Jim Crowley and tucked in from his wide draw, he was just about last of the 10 runners as they raced out of the back straight. He came under a ride early in the home straight but, moved to the outside, he responded to his rider’s urgings. He stayed on well down the outside, and he passed all his rivals, getting up close home to win going away by a length.

This was just Jimi Hendrix’s fourth run. He is talented and he is progressive, but he is also quirky, as evidenced when he idled in front when he had the race in the bag on his final run last season at Doncaster, just getting home by a short head in the end.

It took him a while to win here, it didn’t look likely at the top of the home straight, but he saw out the mile well, and he could get further too on this evidence. He handled this good ground well, but he proved last year that he could operate on soft ground too. He is progressive and he is interesting, and he could improve again for a gelding operation.
Haydock, 28^th May 2022