Democracy Dilemma

Democracy Dilemma just held on in the Listed Beverley Bullet on Saturday. He led from early, he showed plenty of pace. It wasn’t ideal that he went a little to his left on leaving the stalls, but he was quickly into his racing rhythm, in front and along the far rail. Emaraaty Ana chased him, he didn’t give him much respite, as evidenced by the fact that the pair of them had a nice break on the rest of the field at half way. He came under a ride from Tom Eaves as they raced inside the two-furlong marker, and Albasheer closed on him late on, but he just had enough in reserve to get home by a nose.

It was a fine performance by Robert Cowell’s horse, his first listed race win. More than that though, Beverley’s stiff five furlongs on fast ground would not have been ideal for him. He is probably best suited by a flat five furlongs on easy ground, and he could improve again when he gets that combination as we move into the autumn. He ran a big race in a good five-and-a-half-furlong handicap at York’s Ebor meeting on fast ground, when the extra half-furlong probably just caught him out, but he is in the form of his life these days, and the balance of his form before that suggests that he likes to get his toe in. He goes well at York and he goes well at Chester, and he will be of particular interest if he runs at one of those tracks before the end of the season, ideally on easy ground. It is a pity that the Rockingham Stakes at York next month is run over six furlongs and not five, but there is a Group 3 race run over five furlongs at Newbury later this month, a race that Jack Davison won last year with Thunder Bear, who had a rating of 104 going into the race. It usually comes up on the easy side for that race, and, rated 106, it could be a good target for Democracy Dilemma.

Beverley, 31^st August 2024