Faylaq

Faylaq did well to get as close as he got in the Northumberland Vase at Newcastle on Saturday in a race in which the prominent racers filled the first two places. Settled back in the field early on from his inside draw, he was still 12th of the 14 runners when they straightened up for home. He still travelled well at that point though, and rider Callum Rodriguez was able to explore the possibility of an inside run before he moved to his right and started to make progress towards the stands side. Faylaq picked up well when his rider asked him to, and he finished off his race strongly towards the near side, getting up to take third place behind La Hacienda and Mostly Sunny, who had both raced prominently from early, closest at the finish.

Jim Goldie’s horse is seven years old now, but he went into this race in good form. This is his first season with Jim Goldie, and his first two runs for him before Saturday were both good. As well as that, this was his first run over a distance in excess of a mile and six furlongs. He saw out the two-mile trip well, and that opens up options for him. The handicapper raised him by just 1lb to a mark of 87, and that is 18lb lower than his peak, when he finished fourth in the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes as a three-year-old. He will be of interest in another staying handicap now.
Newcastle, 1^st July 2023