3rd-Sep-2022

It is a pity that Speycaster is out of this now, we were well ahead of the market.  I was between him and Inverness in the race anyway so, in the absence of Ralph Beckett’s horse, I am backing Inverness.

We had Charlie Hills’ horse on side in the Melrose Handicap at York last time, when he ran well to finish fourth behind Soulcombe, and a lot of the reasons for backing him then hold true today.  He remains a progressive and potentially well-handicapped young stayer. 

He did well to get as close as he got at Goodwood in July over a mile and a half, when he was well back early on and didn’t have a lot of racing room two furlongs out.  And his run in the Melrose, stepped back up to a mile and six furlongs, was a good run.  He had no answer to Soulcombe’s finishing surge, but he kept on well on the far side, probably on the worst of the ground, to take fourth place.

A 1lb hike for that was more than fair, he remains a potentially well handicapped horse, and he has a real chance.

INVERNESS WON (ADV 17/2, SP 6/1)