Decent Fella

Decent Fella did well to finish as close as he did in a good Class 3 seven-furlong handicap at Newmarket on Friday. Keen enough and held up in behind horses in the early stages, he raced out in the centre of the track, which was a disadvantage with the race developing towards the far side, as evidenced by the fact that the first four home in the race were drawn 12, 15, 14 and 16 respectively, the four boxes closest to the far rail, with stall 13 an absentee. Stone last of the 13 runners at the half way stage, Liam Keniry started scrubbing him along passing the three-furlong pole, and he was just beginning to pick up when he was fairly badly squeezed for room. Still second last passing the two, he switched right over to the far side in behind horses, and made dramatic headway inside the final furlong to join a three-way go for fourth place, some two lengths behind the first three.

It unlikely that Decent Fellow would have won without the interference, but he would have been a lot closer than he was, and he probably would have been closer still if he had been able to emerge from a higher stall. Given how the race panned out, he was almost certainly at a disadvantage coming out of stall four. Nevertheless, it was a hugely encouraging effort. This was just his fourth ever run, his first since joining Andrew Balding from Eddie Lynam's yard. He won two of his three starts for Lynam, his latest win gained in a seven-furlong handicap at Leopardstown last July off a mark of 82 from Magic Mornings, who won her subsequent race over the same course and distance off a 4lb higher mark. Decent Fella was racing off a mark of 87 on Friday, which looks more than reasonable, and it is unlikely that the handicapper will raise him any for this. He should go on from this now, his first run in almost a year and his first for a new yard, he is lightly-raced, his trainer has his horses in flying form, and there could be a decent handicap in him. He shaped here as if he would be well suited by a step up to a mile, and he will be of interest wherever he goes next.

28th May 2010

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