Solar Sky

It could be worth keeping the faith with Solar Sky after his seasonal reappearance in the listed Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham last week. His finishing position of fifth of nine was a little disappointing on the face of it for a horse who had been a St Leger candidate for much of last season, but he is likely a fair bit better than this.

Henry Cecil's horse got shuffled back early on as Tom Queally was eager to restrain him on the inside, he had dropped back to one from last early in the home straight, and even Myplacelater had demoted him to last just over three furlongs from home. He took time to organise himself on the undulations early in the homes straight but, angled to the outside, he made progress all the way to the line through the last quarter mile, coming from an unpromising position to finish fifth in a race in which Electrolyser made just about all.

This was just Solar Sky’s sixth race, he was the most inexperienced member of the field by some way, and he probably needs a greater test of stamina than this. There was money for him in the morning but he was weak on course, and he should improve with this run under his belt, just his second run since the start of July last year. He made a really encouraging debut last season behind his much vaunted stable companion World Domination at Newbury before proving his stamina for two miles when finishing a close second in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot on just his third start. After that he was dropped back down in trip, to a mile and five furlongs for the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket and to a mile and six furlongs for the Listed Noel Murless Stakes at Ascot in September, and he just didn’t quite have the pace to really land a blow in either. He should improve when he steps back up to two miles again now, and he could still be a Cup horse.

11th April 2012

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