Haalick

Haalick was unlucky in the three-year-old Mile Championships at Lingfield on Good Friday. Slowly away, Andre Atzeni settled him at the back of the field through the early stages of the race, but it was always going to be difficult for him to win from there off no more than an average pace. He did nip up the inside early in the home straight, but he was hampered about two furlongs out, by which stage Sea Of Flames and Race Day - who had both raced prominently from early - had set up an unassailable lead. Haalick closed strongly inside the final 150 yards, he made a valiant effort, but he was never going to get there and he went down by a length and a neck in the end.

This was still a highly-commendable run from Roger Varian's horse, and it continued his upward trajectory. Visually unlucky horses are often over-bet next time they run, and that may well be the race with Haalick, but there was still a lot to like about the performance, Sea Of Flames and Race Day are talented, the three of them were clear, and the winning time was good, just 0.07secs/furlong slower than Racing Post standard, and just 0.34secs slower than the time that Captain Joy clocked in winning the All-Weather Mile Championships.

This was just Haalick's fifth run, and it was just his second this year and his second on all-weather. He won his maiden as a juvenile on good to soft ground at Haydock last July, but he will be interesting now getting on faster ground this summer. He stays a mile all right on this evidence, but he has the pace for seven furlongs. He will of interest wherever he goes next.

25^th March 2016

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