Desperate Hero

Desperate Hero made the step up in class into a Group 3 race at Sandown on Saturday, and he proved that he was up to that level at least with a fine run to finish third behind Makarova in the Coral Sprint. Smartly away, it wasn’t a help that he was harried on front end by Equality but, even so, he looked a likely winner when he kicked from the front and established a clear break between himself and his rivals. In the end, he was run down by the closers, Makarova and Purosangue, but it was a fine run in defeat.

Jack Channon’s horse does handle this soft ground, he won well at Goodwood on soft ground on his penultimate run before this, but the combination of the ground and the stiff five furlongs, and the competition that he faced on the front end early on, probably combined to catch him out inside the final 150 yards, as evidenced by his finishing speed of 97.29% of overall speed. The form of the handicap that he won at Hamilton on his previous run before Saturday has worked out exceptionally well, and Desperate Hero continues on an upward trajectory. He has lots of speed, he likes to go forward over the minimum trip, and he will always be of interest when there is an emphasis on speed. The Group 2 King George Stakes at Goodwood, a track at which he won a good handicap in May, would be a legitimate target now.

Sandown, 6^th July 2024