Redarna

Redarna ran better than suggested by his finishing position in fourth place in the one-mile handicap that opened proceedings at Ayr last Saturday.  Dropped in towards the rear early on by James Sullivan, he was a little keener than ideal along the inside behind a moderate pace.  Still keen as they raced around the home turn, he came under a ride as they raced inside the two-furlong marker, but he was always in traffic towards the far side. He was never really getting there, and it all got a little tight for him inside the final 100 yards, but he still kept on all the way to the line to finish within a length and a quarter of the winner Gweedore.

It was a race in which the early pace held up well.  The five horses who occupied the first five places from early finished in the first six places.  Redarna was the only horse who was able to get in among them from further back. Dianne Sayer’s horse does go particularly well at Ayr – in 10 runs there before Saturday, he had won seven times – but he can operate at other tracks as well, as he proved when he won the Thirsk Hunt Cup in April and when he finished second in the Shergar Cup Mile at Ascot in August.  The handicapper left him on his mark of 94 after Saturday’s race, and that was fair.  He will be of interest off that mark now, and we know that he can operate on easy ground.

Ayr, 17th September 2022