Golan Way

Golan Way won a novices’ chase at Huntingdon over an extended two and a half miles on Saturday a shade cosily. This habitual front-runner was taken on for the lead early by Quinola Des Obeaux, but he jumped well and took it up outright coming over the first in the straight for the first time. Pearlysteps, who had run so well to chase home the potentially top class Wymott at Bangor on his previous run, came to lay it down to Sheena West’s horse down the back straight, but Golan Way just had the advantage turning into the straight and was going slightly better than the Henry Daly horse. He had to work when that much bigger horse threw down a big challenge coming to two out, but, ultimately, the winner was able to see him off without the rider having to get too serious at all (the jockey only had to administer a couple of light cracks in the forehand position).

Golan Way is shaping up to be an even better chaser than he was a hurdler, and he was a really useful hurdler, numbering a Grade 2 novices' event at Cheltenham and a Pertemps Qualifier at Wincanton among his wins over the smaller obstacles. He was an impressive winner on his debut over fences at Ludlow, and you can easily forgive him his subsequent defeat at Kempton, when he was taking on some high class, much more experienced rivals, including Riverside Theatre, who is one of the leading players in the King George market behind Kauto Star at present. He would be interesting stepped up again in distance as he seemed to need every yard of this extended two-and-a-half-mile trip to assert. You can't fault his attitude, he has always had a big heart, and, encouragingly, the time was good, relatively the best of the day.

20th November 2010

Back