Agente Parmigiano

I would like to see Agente Parmigiano dropped down to six furlongs now. His run in the Class 2 seven-furlong handicap for three-year-olds at Doncaster on Wednesday screamed six furlongs. Dropped out the back through the early stages, they weren't flying up front, but they weren't going a slow pace either, yet it wasn't fast enough for Agente Parmigiano. He was always doing too much, despite the fact that Franny Norton managed to get him well covered up on the stands rail. It all got a bit tight a half a mile out as Norton moved off the fence and his horse almost clipped heels with the horse immediately in front of him. Even after that, he the horse still wanted to go faster than he was going. As they passed the two-furlong pole, he and the eventual winner Akhenaten, were the only two still on the bridle. Agente Parmigiano made nice progress through horses and Norton asked him for his effort out in the centre of the track as they passed the furlong pole. For a few strides it looked as if he was going to quicken up and win his race, but his run flattened out inside the last 100 yards and he had to settle for third place, just three parts of a length behind the winner.

This was Ger Butler's colt's 14th start, and he has only won once, a maiden at Yarmouth in June last year worth two grand. He is obviously difficult to win with, and he can be a little tricky. That said, he has shaped with a deal of promise in the past, even before last Wednesday, like when he missed the break and didn't handle Epsom's cambers at all, yet finished well to take sixth place, just three lengths behind the winner Cloudy Start, in a good handicap on Derby weekend, and when he was beaten just a length by the useful Khor Dubai in a handicap at Kempton on his last run before last Wednesday when he wore a tongue tie for the first time, which he wore again on Wednesday. He hasn't run over six furlongs since he raced too freely and finished last of five when favourite to beat subsequent Group 2 July Stakes winner Classic Blade at Salisbury in June last year. The previous time that he raced over six furlongs was in that maiden auction race, when he sluiced in. He is worth another chance on fast ground over six furlongs with a tongue tie, when the faster pace over the shorter distance should help him settle better.

9th September 2009

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