Wings Of Eagles
Wings Of Eagles could be the horse to take out of last Thursday's Chester Vase.
Slowly away, Aidan O'Brien's horse was settled by Seamie Heffernan towards the rear of the field and around the inside. A little keen around the first turn and up the home straight first time, he was taken back a little by his rider to be no better than second last of the eight-runner field as they passed the winning post first time. He travelled well down the back straight as his stable companion The Anvil led and his other stable companion, favourite Venice Beach, tracked him along the inside in third place. Still seventh but travelling well as they passed the four-furlong pole, he was angled towards the outside by Seamie Heffernan and started to make his ground. He was forced three wide around the first part of the home turn, however, and he was forced four wide as they started to straighten up for home. Even so, given one crack of the whip, he stayed on well on the near side up the home straight, widest of all, to take second place, a nose in front of The Anvil and just over a length behind Venice Beach, in a purple-swathed Ballydoyle 1-2-3 in a race that was run in a decent time, just 0.15secs/furlong slower than Racing Post standard.
Winner of his maiden on his second attempt last season, the Pour Moi colt ran a nice race to finish fourth in the Listed Zetland Stakes at Newmarket in early October when he didn't have the run of the race. He was well beaten in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on his final run of the season when he raced freely early on, but you can easily allow him that, a poor run in France on soft ground at the end of October.
This was his first run since then, and he was weak enough in the market, just third best of the four Ballydoyle colts. He should do better with this run under his belt, he should be able to progress from this, his seasonal debut and just his fifth run ever.
11th May 2017
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