Tight Call
Tight Call ran a big race to finish second to Tedham in the 2m 5f handicap hurdle. Usually a front-runner, Alan Johns settled him just behind a relatively sedate pace here, on this, his first attempt at a distance in excess of 2m 4f under Rules. He was a little keener than ideal early on, and he was a little wider than ideal, but he still travelled well through his race. He moved up nicely on the outside early in the home straight, and he looked a likely winner when he hit the front on the run to the second last flight. He just couldn't get the better of Tedham, but that rival is a talented and progressive horse who went around the inside throughout, and time may tell that it was a fine run to finish second to Jonjo O'Neill's horse.
Third behind Dorrells Pierji in a bumper at the Galway Festival last August when he was with Roger McGrath, he has progressed now in four runs for Tim Vaughan, winning a bumper and a maiden hurdle over two and a half miles. He was probably just out-paced by Kajaki over 2m at Wetherby in November, but this intermediate trip is a good trip for him. The handicapper raised him by just 3lb to a mark of 120, and that is fair. He has only just turned five and this was just his third run over hurdles. He has lots of scope for progression.
Wincanton, 5th January 2019
Back