Meezaan

Put up here as a horse to follow after he won a Class 5 maiden at Lingfield at the end of last season, Meezaan continued his progress when he won what looked like a decent Class 3 handicap run over seven furlongs at Newbury on Friday. Always travelling well towards the centre of the track, the John Gosden-trained colt picked up impressively when Richard Hills asked him, struck the front a furlong and a half out, and ran on impressively all the way to the line to win well.

This is often a high quality three-year-old handicap, and this year's renewal had that shape about it beforehand, the second and third High Constable and Gramercy both look like useful types from the Roger Charlton and Michael Bell yards respectively, but Meezaan was a fair way superior to both. The maiden that he won last year is working out well, he apparently worked well on the Friday before this race, and he is highly regarded. A son of Medicean, he was a little keen through the early stages, he is apparently quite light-mouthed, and his rider said that he would have let him go on if he hadn't had something to lead him. He has lots of class, he showed lots of speed and, despite the fact that he has a Guineas entry, he will reportedly be trained now for the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot. The seven-furlong trip of that contest should be ideal, all three of his races have been over seven furlongs, his dam won over seven furlongs and is a half-sister to Steinbeck, from the family of Hill Hopper, so there is a lot of speed in his pedigree. He is an exciting prospect for the season ahead.

16th April 2010

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