Dominant

Dominant was really badly hampered two furlongs out before being switched wide and finishing well to take second place behind Chain Lightning in a Class 3 10 furlong three-year-old handicap at Sandown on Sunday. He raced quite keenly just behind the leaders early on, but they didn’t go any great pace and a few of them raced keenly. Still tanking along as they straightened up for home, Neil Callan was angling for a run between She Ain’t A Saint and eventual winner Chain Lightning three and a half furlongs out, but when that gap didn’t seem like opening, he switched Dominant inside. Unfortunately She Ain’t A Saint was running about in front and started to veer right, down towards the rail, impeding Roger Varian’s horse not once but twice, the second time really quite badly and leaving him with no chance, five lengths off the leaders with only a furlong and a half to run. Once he was switched and found daylight, Dominant ran on really strongly, again having to be switched between horses as Glencadam Gold edged left, and finished right on the heels of the winner, Callan having accepted the situation 50 yards out.

This was only the Cacique colt’s third run. He won a seven-furlong Goodwood maiden in quite good style in late September before acquitting himself really well when pitched into the 27-runner Tattersalls Millions Two-Year-Old Trophy just 10 days later on soft ground. He goes well on this fast ground and he saw this 10-furlong trip out well considering he was keen enough through the early part of the race on his comeback. Also, the winning time was only a fraction slower than the time that Genius Beast clocked in winning the Group 3 Classic Trial over the same course and distance half an hour earlier.

Dominant's pedigree is hard to evaluate as he is the first foal out of a quite lightly-raced French mare (who did stay 10 furlongs) and he is by Cacique for whom this is his first season with three-year-olds, although another one of his sons Slumber did win the Epsom Derby Trial impressively last week. Dominant is entered in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and he should stay 12 furlongs judged on this performance and the evidence that we have from his pedigree, but he is not short of pace for 10 furlongs either. He will be interesting now next time out, and is one for first-season trainer Roger Varian to look forward to over the course of the season.

23rd April 2011

Back