Arigato
Arigato did well to win the seven-furlong handicap. Keen early on for Josephine Gordon and in behind the leaders on the stands rail, he had to engineer racing room for himself outside the leader Breath Of Air inside the two-furlong marker, and he had to be strong in the finish after he hit the front to see off the challenger Blown By Wind, but he was, and the front two came away from their rivals a little.
It was a good step forward by William Jarvis' horse. Second on his seasonal debut at Yarmouth in early June, he was impressive in winning a lesser handicap at Newmarket on soft ground the previous week. Raised 8lb for that and into a much stronger race, he stepped forward again here. He is five, but it appears that he has reached a new level of performance now, and his rate of improvement may not have levelled off yet. The handicapper raised him by another 5lb for this to a mark of 92, but he may be progressive enough to cope with that hike. His trainer mentioned the Bunbury Cup as a next potential target, and that makes sense, at Newmarket's July Course where his record reads 221.
Newmarket, 26th June 2020
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