Cavalryman

Cavalryman is starting to look really interesting now. Given that he is at his best over a mile and a half on easy ground, the sedate early pace in the Juddmonte wouldn’t have suited him, and it turned into a test of speed rather than stamina, which didn’t play to his strengths. That said, he kept on admirably to finish fourth, having travelled in last place early in the home straight. He ended up finishing clear of the fifth horse Dick Turpin, and was beaten by three speedier types in Rip Van Winkle, Twice Over and Byword, with Frankie Dettori easing him close home.

Although Cavalryman has yet to win this season, he has been competing at the very top level and it is easy to forgive him his previous two runs in the Coronation Cup (he was badly hampered as he was starting to improve) and in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot (when he came home with pulled muscles) this season. He put up a really good effort to finish fifth behind Dar Re Mi in the Dubai Sheema Classic in Meydan earlier this year and he remains a top-class horse. Remember he was third in the Arc last year from a horrible draw, and there is every reason to believe that he could go back there and improve on that performance. He is already a Group 1 winner around Longchamp. Current odds of 33/1 would be big if you knew that he was a definite intended runner in the Arc, especially if the ground came up on the easy side.

17th August 2010

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