Trafford Lad

Trafford Lad ran a cracker in the Clonmel Festival Week Chase last Thursday and may be a horse worth following again now. He probably needs to go left-handed these days, he jumped a little out to his left throughout, and he was markedly out to his left at the last two fences. Andrew Lynch took Trafford Lad to the lead as they went out on their final circuit, and he made a bold bid to last home from there, but was just run out of it by Leanne, who got the perfect trip through the race, just behind the front three initially and then moving through to track Trafford Lad down the back straight on the final circuit. Leanne moved up on the outside off the home turn and the front pair quickly pulled clear of the other three, and Trafford Lad may well have held on but for making a mistake at the second last fence. He was still in front with 50 yards to run, but Leanne just responded to Bryan Cooper's urgings and got up to lead inside the final 50 yards.

Trafford Lad will not now be the chaser that he threatened to be in his novice days, but he has still just turned 10. It seems like he has been around for ages, but he has relatively few miles on the clock, having run just 20 times in his life. This was his best run for some time, it was his third run in a tongue-tie (he swallowed his tongue apparently when he didn’t wear one in the John Durkan Chase on his previous run) and this piece of equipment seems to be helping him. He may continue to be under-rated.

He has been dropped 1lb to 141 following this run and he would be of interest if he turned up in a handicap now off that mark, especially at a left-handed track. Despite five of his six career wins coming at right-handed tracks, he gives the impression that he will be better going the other way around, he jumped out to his left the whole way here, as he did in the John Durkan Chase. He is entered in a two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase at Naas on Saturday, and he would be interesting were he to take his chance in that. Two and a half miles is probably his trip nowadays, more so than three miles, even with the tongue-tie back on. He is not one to give up on just yet, there may still be a big day or two in him.

2nd February 2012

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