War Whisper
War Whisper ran a nice race to finish third behind Robero in the six-furlong handicap that brought the curtain down at Ascot on Saturday.
Squeezed out of it a little at the start, he was well back in the field from early, which isn't usually a disadvantage on the straight track at Ascot. But this was a race in which the early pace held up well, with the well-backed Robero making just about all the running.
War Whisper travelled well towards the rear of the field fro Hollie Doyle. Stone last with three furlongs to run, his rider moved in over towards the far side in order that he could get a clear run and asked him for his effort, and he picked up well. He couldn't match the winner's finishing kick, he came clear on the near side, but War Whisper came nicely clear of his rivals on the far side, and he probably would have beaten Red Tycoon for second place had he not shied and hung a little to his left deep inside the final furlong.
It was a fine effort by Richard Hannon's horse. It is probable that there was at least a slight advantage to be gained from racing towards the stands side at Ascot on Saturday, the stands-side runners dominated the Victoria Cup earlier on the day, so War Whisper can probably be marked up at least a little on that bare form of the run. Also, he wasn't helped by the messy start, and he probably bumped into a live one in Robero, as suggested by the winner's strength in the market.
This was War Whisper's seasonal debut and it was just his seventh race ever, so he has scope to progress now. The handicapper raised him by 3lb to a mark of 83, but that is still 6lb lower than his peak rating, at the end of his two-year-old season, and that gives him a nice amount of leeway.
13th May 2017
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