Wadi Al Hattawi

Mentioned here before after he won a handicap at York at the end of May, Wadi Al Hattawi is worth noting again after his run in the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap at Royal Ascot on Saturday. There were several horses who were worthy of note from the race, including Havana Cooler and Eliodor, but none more so that the Godolphin horse.

Slowly away and ridden up just to adopt an early position in midfield, he had to be nudged along a little by Kieren Fallon just to maintain that midfield position. Angled towards the outside and ridden along on the run to the home turn, he was stuck behind a wall of horses all the way around the home turn. He moved towards the inside early in the home straight, but he ran up a cul de sac just inside the two-furlong pole and had to be snatched up and switched back to the outside. By the time he did manage to get into the clear, Arab Spring had kicked for home in a race-winning move, but the Dalakhani gelding ran on strongly all the way to the line, moving up from 13th place with a furlong to run to finish seventh under just a hands-and-heels ride from Fallon.

This was a fine effort from Wadi Al Hattawi in a red-hot Royal Ascot handicap. As well as the fact that he did not have much luck in-running, he was also held up out the back in a race in which the first and second both raced handily. He was raised 11lb for his York win to a mark of 99, but he proved here that he is well up to that type of mark. He appears to be an improved horse since he has been gelded, and he appears to be versatile as regards ground conditions and track. It was good to soft when he won at York with more in hand than the one-length winning margin, and it was fast ground at Ascot on Saturday.

He stays this 12-furlong trip well, it is probably a minimum for him, and he will be of big interest now stepping up in trip. He will be interesting if he takes his chance in the Ebor, given that he is already proven at York, a track at which, like Ascot, course form is a huge asset.

21st June 2014

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