Kasbaan

Kasbaan out-ran odds of 80/1 by a fair way in the International Handicap, and he can probably be marked up a fair bit on the bare form of the run. Drawn in stall five, he raced on the far side in a race in which the high numbers and those who raced on the near side dominated. The first five home raced, respectively, from stalls 19, 18, 20, 12 and 17 of 20. Kasbaan raced from stall five, and he did best of the low-drawn horses.

As well as that, Michael Appleby’s horse travelled really well through his race on the far side. He was still on the bridle on the run to the two-furlong marker, and he ran all the way to the line, furthest from the stands rail. He was beaten less than four lengths by the winner Blue Mist, and he was beaten just a short head and a half a length for fourth. Kasbaan is five now, and he is looking fairly well exposed, but there could still be a big handicap in him off a mark in the mid-90s on this evidence. His three wins have been on all-weather surfaces, over a mile and 10 furlongs, and the balance of his form suggests that he is a better horse on all-weather than he is on turf. However, this was his first run at Ascot, so he will be of interest when he returns there, to the sand-based straight track. He will be of interest too when he steps back up to a mile.

Ascot, 25^th July 2020