All About Joe

All About Joe put up a really nice performance to win the Durham National at Sedgefield on Sunday. Nicely settled, eighth of the eight runners, by Alan Doyle early on, he was still only seventh as they raced down the back straight final time. He made nice progress on the outside down the back straight though, and he moved into second place behind the leader Raddle And Hum as they raced around the home turn. He moved to the front after they jumped the second last, and onto the inside rail, and he popped the last nicely before staying on strongly up the run-in. He was probably idling in front, and he left the impression that he had more in hand than the bare winning margin of three lengths.

A faller in a handicap hurdle at Ayr in May on his first run for Andrew Hamilton, the Oscar gelding sprang a 33/1 shock when he won a novices’ handicap chase at Cartmel in June on his first run over fences over two miles and five furlongs, a trip that was surely wholly inadequate. He improved again for stepping up in trip to three miles, but this was a career-best from him on his first run over an extreme trip. He remains unexposed now as a staying chaser, he is only seven and this was just his fifth run over fences, and the further he goes, apparently, the stronger he gets. He obviously goes well on this good ground, but he did finish second to Eklat De Rire in a maiden hurdle at Thurles on heavy ground when he was with Colm Murphy, so he does have options. He will be of interest again in another marathon chase now over an extreme distance.
Sedgefield, 16^th October 2022