Real Dominion
Nothing went right for Real Dominion in the 1m 5f handicap at Newmarket on Saturday, so he did well to finish second behind Yorkidding. For starters, the pace was inordinately slow, with the result that Andrew Balding's horse was very free through the early stages of the race. He travelled well to the 3f pole, staying towards the stands rail just behind early leaders Great Hall and Great Glen. However, carried towards the centre of the track at the 2f pole but still travelling best of, when Jimmy Quinn moved him to his right in order to engineer a gap for himself, he seemed to clip the heels of Great Glen and stumble a little. He did get a gap for himself after that but, by the time he did, Yorkidding had skipped clear on the far side. He did get out after the filly, he tried to close her down, and he came clear of his rivals on the near side, but he couldn't get to Yorkidding.
This was another fine effort from the Cape Blanco colt, and it continues his upward trajectory. On his penultimate run before this, he won a handicap at Ascot by 6l off a mark of 82, and he followed up by running a cracker in the Shergar Cup Classic back at Ascot off a mark of 91. He was racing off the same mark of 91 here and, on this evidence, there is a good 12f handicap in him off this mark. There is lots of speed in his pedigree, his dam won over 5f, but he stays this trip well. He should do better in a better race and in a bigger field, in which a stronger pace is likely, and he will be of particular interest if and when he returns to Ascot.
27th August 2016
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