Alnilam
Alnilam only finished fifth in the conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle that concluded proceedings at Aintree on Friday, but he can be marked up a fair bit on the bare form of the run, given that he led from early at a fast pace. There was plenty going on in the race, and Celtic Dino did well to finish third in the end, given that he was hampered when Country Park came down in front of him at the first turn, but that performance has probably been noted and may be factored into the market next time, whereas the degree to which Alnilam's performance can be marked up may be under-rated.
In front from flagfall, Olly Murphy's horse stretched away from his field as they raced down the back straight. The leaders in the chasing pack had closed up by the time they got to the end of the back straight, but Alnilam still led until the run to the second last flight, after which his early exertions told. To put it into context, according to the RaceIQ figures, he got to the four-furlong marker in a time that was 1.73secs faster than the time that it took the leader in the Grade 1 Top Novices' Hurdle, Romeo Coolio, to cover the same ground, and Romeo Coolio wasn't hanging around either. It took Alnilam almost 63secs to cover the final four furlongs, his finishing speed was just over 92% over his overall speed. It is not easy to make all on the hurdles track at Aintree, and Alnilam should be seen to better effect now at a track at which prominent racers are advantaged.
Aintree, 4th April 2025
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