King's Legacy

Although disappointing in his latest run in the three mile Class 2 handicap hurdle on Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day card, King’s Legacy deserves another chance. His form coming into this race was strong, both last season as a novice and on his first run this term in handicap company; he looked likely to beat his stablemate Organisateur in a novice hurdle at Taunton over two and a half miles in April but for unseating at the last, and that rival is now rated 154 having improved well over 20lb this term. On his reappearance in a two-mile-five-furlong handicap hurdle also at Cheltenham he was reported to need the outing but travelled as well as any for most of the contest until the front two (who were both well handicapped) got away from him coming down the hill, but he ran on for third. Off the same mark here and upped to three miles, things just did not go right for him. They went no pace at all with all the runners in a heap until a fair way down the back straight, which wouldn’t have suited, and he made a real hash of the second flight having been unsighted coming into it, which might have affected him more than it appeared.

He was scheduled to go chasing after his first run this term so it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. He is good enough to win a handicap over hurdles off this mark, but Paul Nicholls is not afraid to send his horses chasing after the turn of the year, so it may well be that he is still sent over fences. Apart from that bad mistake at the second he jumped fairly accurately here and is the type to do well over fences.

1st January 2011

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