Nabucco

Nabucco did well to keep on as well as he did to finish second to the useful Niceofyoutotellme in the Class 3 10-furlong handicap at Newmarket on Saturday given how the race was run.

Pushed up leaving the stalls to adopt a prominent position, he had a share of the lead for the first half-furlong before Halfsin strode on. Even so, he remained a close third, right up in behind a really fast pace, which probably advantaged those who were held up. The winner came from last place, and the other two horses who filled the first four places were also in the rear trio all the way until half a mile from home.

Nabucco looked to have every chance three furlongs out but he just took a while to wear down those ahead of him, it wasn’t until inside the final furlong that he got to the front and, while he found plenty for pressure once he did to edge away from the third and fourth horses, he couldn’t hold off the sustained challenge of the winner on his outside. The winner is progressive and lightly-raced, and the presence of another fairly unexposed horse in third adds ballast to the form.

On this evidence, Nabucco just seemed to be a little one-paced, and he will probably improve for a step up in trip. His dam Cape Verdi, although a 1000 Guineas winner, is a half-sister to a two-time soft-ground listed race winner over a mile and a half in France. Nabucco was a close second to the useful soft-ground horse Signed Up in a maiden on soft ground last season before comfortably beating the subsequent Melrose winner Guarantee on good to soft ground in a Windsor maiden, so he could do even better back on easier ground now.

Nabucco has been raised 3lb for this, but that is not harsh, and he will be of interest whenever he runs next, especially if he is back on easier ground or stepped up to a mile and a half.

8th June 2013

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