Kajima

Kajima has looked good on a couple of runs already this season, and he put in another good performance to take a good three-year-old handicap at Kempton on Friday. He was always travelling well in behind a fast pace, Richard Hughes always looked confident and still stood high in his irons as he moved up easily at the top of the home straight. Kajima quickened up well when Hughes went for him to win nicely, coming away from Zakiy and Linnens Star, with the well-backed Mark Johnston colt Colepeper staying on well to take second place, and another well-backed horse in High Twelve just getting up for third.

Kajima was by far the best horse in the race, he showed a fine turn of foot and he was well suited by the fast pace. He wears a cross noseband and has pulled hard in the past, but there wasn’t any evidence of that here, the fast pace suiting him in that regard and he stayed the mile really well. Richard Hannon’s horse has run well several times this season, and he has some smart form in the book, his third to Cansili Star in a good three-year-old handicap at Epsom back in June reads particularly well, Treadwell, Citrus Star, Nosedive and Gramercy have gone on to win some hot handicaps since and Kajima was the only horse who managed to get into the race that day after chasing what was a really fast early pace. Also since that Epsom run, his run prior to winning here, he was beaten just head by Dance East at Windsor, and that horse won a handicap at Glorious Goodwood subsequently off an 8lb higher mark. A son of Oasis Dream, he remains progressive, a mile with a decent pace looks to be his optimum. The handicapper has raised him just 5lb for this, which could be lenient, and there could a big handicap in him off his new mark of 92.

13th August 2010

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