Tarkari

Tarkari put up a nice performance when finishing third to Oscar Whisky in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las on Saturday. The Evan Williams-trained gelding was held up last of the five runners throughout but he travelled really well in behind for Paul Moloney. He didn’t jump particularly well, he was a bit slow and awkward at one or two of his hurdles, but he was still bang there with a chance turning in when he and the odds-on Oscar Whisky were the only horses still on the bridle. Tarkari inevitably came under pressure and got outpaced by the classy winner, who looks like a player in the Champion Hurdle now, but he did look booked for second before he made a mess of the last to let Black Jack Blues back in.

This was still a pleasing effort from Tarkari, who wasn’t given a hard time of it by Paul Moloney on the run in. But for that terrible mistake at the last, after an overall poor jumping round, he would have been second, and that would have been a cracking performance. He was a progressive and talented sort for Willie Mullins last season, he won a competitive handicap hurdle at Leopardstown after he had finished a close fourth in the ultra-competitive MCR Hurdle prior to that. Since coming over to Evan Williams’s yard, the son of Fantastic Light has done well – he was a good second to Palomar in a valuable handicap hurdle on his seasonal debut, and he was in the process of just getting into the race in the Greatwood at Cheltenham when he came down at the third last. He has an interesting profile now, this was a really good run and it will be interesting to see where he goes next. His mark of 132 could under-estimate him now a fair bit. His jumping will have to improve, but it may be that it does improve when he gets a softer surface. All his three career wins thus far have come with give in the ground, and he will be interesting back on a soft surface next.

5th February 2011

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