God's Own

God's Own ran a cracker to split Balder Succes and Fox Appeal in the Grade 2 Pendil Chase at Kempton on Saturday. Settled in behind the front-running Loose Chips along the rail by Paddy Brennan through the early stages of the race, his jumping just wasn't as fluent as Balder Succes' or Fox Appeal's, and that may have cost him in the end.

He did travel as well as the top two into the home straight, just behind that pair as they loomed up on the outside of Loose Chips. Pulled to the outside himself after jumping the third last fence, he jumped to his right at the second last, back in behind the leading pair, and Brennan had to take him outside again on the run to the last. He jumped the last well, but so did the front two and, while it never looked likely that he would get to Balder Succes, he did well to get up and just deprive the talented Fox Appeal of the runner-up spot.

Tom George's horse appeared to be much happier stepped back up to two and a half miles, and back on a right-handed track here than he had been at Doncaster on his previous two runs, in the latter of which he finished well behind Fox Appeal. It was interesting that Paddy Brennan lined up along the inside rail, as Richard Johnson invariably does on Captain Chris, and that God's Own jumped to his right at the second last when Brennan took him off the rail to challenge. His record going right-handed under Rules is 231312, while his record going left is 1U024. The handicapper raised him 7lb to a mark of 144 for this, but this was just his third run over fences, and he is still only seven, so he has lots of scope to progress further. He is in the Rewards4Racing Chase at Cheltenham, but it may be worth waiting for him to go back right-handed, and it is interesting that his trainer mentioned Punchestown as a possibility. He would also be of interest at Fairyhouse or Sandown before the end of the season.

22nd February 2014

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