The splits for each furlong were as follows: 15.24 (from a standing start), 12.12, 12.25, 12.39, 12.60, 12.18, 12.53 and finally 13.16. So while the pace slowed just a touch at around halfway, it was essentially an even gallop. The final time confirmed the ground was really soft with this the 11th slowest of 211 races to be run over C&D since 2005.
There were three separate groups early on, before the main action unfolded middle to stands´ side. However, the four runners who stayed towards the far rail all finished in the first eight, including a couple at massive prices, suggesting they may have been on the best ground. As such, it makes sense to treat this as two separate races.
Dealing solely with the main group for now, only time will show thetrue worth of the form but it looks solid enough as the highly promising CAMELOT just denied a Prix Djebel winner, with the pair clear of a horse who had defied a penalty in the Craven, albeit that one was a bit below his best. Next home was Fencing (Camelot more than doubled his superiority over that rival from their meeting in the Racing Post Trophy), and then came the Greenham winner.
Camelot became the first horse to do the Racing Post Trophy/2000 Guineas double since High Top in 1972, his rider´s brave decision to challenge between horses probably making the difference between victory and defeat. The horse had to be game to see off the runner-up´s strong challenge, and is more straightforward than many of his late sire´s progeny. While the soft ground put the emphasis on stamina, undoubtedly helping a horse who is bred for middle-distances, he had the quickest sectional in the sixth and seventh furlongs, and certainly didn´t just outstay his rivals. He won´t need this ground when going up in distance (already won twice on good), and should be hard to beat in the Derby. A top-price of 5-4 is justified.
French Fifteen is a tough, progressive colt who had conditions to suit, but he has a little way to go if he´s to make a genuinely top-class miler considering he was denied by a rival who is likely to need further.
Hermival had a similar profile to 2010 winner Makfi, including the same sire and trainer. Unlike his erstwhile stablemate, this one didn´t win the Prix Djebel, but he received the same RPR of 110. It´s doubtful, however, that he stepped forward as expected as the form of the quartet who raced far side looks ordinary by the standards of this race.
The final time was just over five seconds slower than when Trumpet Major won the Craven over C&D. He´s not considered a soft ground horse (flopped on testing going in last year´s Solario), so it´s no surprise he was below form, and he probably did well to finish so close.
Camelot gets a mark of 123P from timeform but hes better than that in my opinion once it steps up in distance and giving french fifteen that mark is more realistic I rate Camelot at least 127p once it gets further.
And onto the 1000 Gns - I was on twitter with Ben and Mark and when Gray Pearl who I knew to be an excited and maybe too crazy an animal made them wait that long the race became just so unpredictable - the stalls delay upset too many and the result questionable - it was all about young fillies getting het up as the delay mounted - you could see from the pictures so many with ears flat back trembling and reverting to Herd animals with a predator around - Homecoming Queen had the best of it - not only has she had more experience than all of them (remember my caution about a horse needing 14 runs to be a racer) she was walking around like an old dog who has seen it all before. I jumped on at 34s betfair just before the off. This looked a decent renewal of the first fillies´ Classic, with plenty appearing to hold every opportunity of gaining an extremely valuable success and five of them came into it unbeaten. However, not many could have predicted the way the race would play out.
There was a lengthy delay to the start when Gray Pearl got herself wedged underneath the stalls when almost all the runners had been loaded. The stalls were emptied so the handlers could help the prone Charles Hills filly, meaning the remainder stood behind the stalls for some 25 minutes. Sadly Gray Pearl had to be put down. Interestingly, the first two home hadn´t gone into their berths when the incident occurred.
Exploding out of the stalls, HOMECOMING QUEEN set some really strong fractions and gave the impression she´d tee the race up for something behind. Ryan Moore was relentless in making his mount go forward and it soon became apparent that nothing was going to catch what had looked the stable´s second string. She is exceptionally well bred being a half-sister to the top-class Dylan Thomas and the unbeaten Queen´s Logic, who would have started for the favourite for the 2002 renewal of this race, so from that perspective the information was all there. That said, she´d taken eight races to get off the mark as a juvenile and didn´t give the obvious impression she´d be following in her siblings´ footsteps. One can only rate the performance positively until it is proven otherwise, but she is small in stature and one wonders if she´ll maintain her form throughout a long season, considering this was her third outing of 2012. The jockey felt the filly will get further.
There was a sizeable gap back to Starscope, who´d won a maiden here in October but then, wearing a hood, improved to be fourth in the Nell Gwyn on her next start, when making up quite a bit of ground from off the pace. She tended to wander here when the field started to make some inroads on the leader but stayed on nicely to claim second. There must be a slight suspicion that she isn´t a completely straightforward ride, talented though she is, but this was her first big test and she may come on for it mentally. She´s certainly in the right hands to have a big season.
Maybe was a perfect five from five in 2011, finishing with a Group 1 success in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh. Everything about her suggested the 1m trip wouldn´t cause her any particular problems and she moved nicely in the chasing group while others needed motivating. Things looked perfectly set up for her but, like all those beaten, she didn´t find that extra gear and couldn´t close the gap. She is undoubtedly better than this, something backed up by the way she travelled, and can readily be given another chance wherever connections send her next.
The Fugue won a 7f maiden here, in which she and the runner-up pulled clear, so was an intriguing runner from a top stable. Seemingly the choice of stable jockey William Buick, she got behind before making ground past rivals when they came to the end of their tether. Bred to be better over further, she appeared to run a decent trial for the Oaks but was struck into behind and John Gosden is going to monitor the situation with that injury before making plans, so bets for Epsom should be put on hold until positive news is known.
Bob
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