Ajman Bridge

Ajman Bridge did well to finish second in the Class 2 10-furlong handicap that opened proceedings at Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday.

Drawn wide, 18 of 18, he raced in mid-division from early in a race in which the three Mark Johnston runners raced in first, second and third. Wide into the home straight, he made nice progress early in the straight and, when William Buick asked him to pick up, he did so nicely.

He came with what looked like a well-timed run down the outside, which looked like taking him to the front. It did take him past the duelling Johnston horses Salutation and Busatto, but it was the other Johnston horse, Sennockian Star, who picked up from just behind the leading pair on the far side and finished well to just deny Ajman Bridge.

This was a good race, a strong 10-furlong handicap, run in a good time, the fastest comparative time on a top-class day's racing. Also, it was a race in which the pace-setters were advantaged. The three Johnston horses who occupied the first three places from flagfall finished first, third and fourth. Ajman Bridge was the only horse who was able to get into the race from off the pace, and he did more than just get into the race, he almost won it, with the first four nicely clear of the remainder.

Luca Cumani's colt is a relatively lightly-raced four-year-old. He won on his racecourse debut as a juvenile, on his only run at two, and he won again on his debut last year at three, over 10 furlongs on good ground at Pontefract. He has taken a little while to get his eye in this term, but his last run before Tuesday was really encouraging, when he stayed on well and just failed to reel back in the useful Border Legend at Haydock off a mark of 89. This was another step forward on that off a mark of 91.

Hopefully the handicapper will not be too harsh on him now for this, because there could be a good 10-furlong handicap in him now off this type of mark or even a little higher.

29th July 2014

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