Sajjhaa

It probably wasn’t the greatest 10-furlong maiden that Sajjhaa won at Sandown on Thursday evening, but she couldn’t have been any more impressive in doing so. Slowly away, the daughter of King’s Best quickly recovered and was moving smoothly just behind the leaders on the outside as they left the back straight. She improved nicely two furlongs out on the bridle, took it up at the furlong pole and just came clear fairly effortlessly, showing a really impressive turn of foot, to post a most impressive victory.

It is difficult to tell how good the beaten fillies were, but they may not have been too bad. Runner-up Saggiatore, a half-sister to Indian Haven, had shaped with some promise behind Pink Symphony in a maiden at Newbury in April, and there were a couple of newcomers with nice pedigrees in behind. The time wasn’t brilliant, but they didn’t appear to go a great gallop through the early stages, and the manner in which the winner came clear was visually really impressive. It wasn’t so much what Sajjhaa beat as how she beat them. The Michael Jarvis team obviously think a lot of her, as evidenced by her SP of 5/4 and by her entries in the Oaks and the Ribblesdale. She is out of a Darshaan mare who won over 10 and a half furlongs, she should have no difficulty getting a mile and a half, and she could prove to be very good indeed.

20th May 2010