High Standing

High Standing put up a decent performance on Sunday in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville to finish third despite getting no kind of run until inside the final furlong. He was held up towards the rear, which resulted in him being trapped behind a wall of horses as they all moved over to the stands’ side. He had nowhere to go two and a half furlongs out, had to be switched to the far side, got checked again over a furlong out and eventually ran on well to finish third, after he saw daylight for the first time.

High Standing probably wouldn’t have won with a clear run but he would have finished much closer than he did to Regal Parade and Joanna, who pulled away from their field in the end. Mentioned here after his seasonal reappearance, when he put up a good performance to win a listed race from what looked an unpromising position over five furlongs at Haydock at the end of May, he did disappoint in the Golden Jubilee, but he ran a lot better to finish third behind Regal Parade on his last run before Sunday in the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury. He is effective over six and seven furlongs, he is at his best on easy ground, and he wouldn't be without an outsider's chance in the Sprint Cup at Haydock if the ground did come up soft.

8th August 2010

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