With no all-weather racing this week Andrew Asquith highlights some horses who have caught the eye on the clock.
It’s a rare week off for Flat jockey's and all-weather racing so there is no preview this week, but it’s a good time to reflect and raise some horses who may be of interest in the coming weeks and months.
If you read last week, you would know that I was pretty keen on the Simon & Ed Crisford-trained Victorious Street. He was well backed, as a US-bred horse with an unexposed profile on the all-weather, but he ultimately failed to meet expectations, seemingly not suited by the steady gallop and once again leaving the impression he’s ready for further than a mile. I’d still say he’s a horse to be interested in on an artificial surface and for me he’ll be one to look out for next time depending on the circumstances.
That race was won by the hot favourite Roi de France, who did particularly well to win, showing exactly why he was the subject of an ante-post gamble for the Cambridgeshire. He was unable to show his true form in that valuable handicap presumably because of soft ground conditions, but he restored the opinion that he’s an exciting prospect at Kempton last week.
Roi de France went with plenty of enthusiasm and overcame quite a bit of trouble in-running, tanking along in behind rivals when having no room to extend over a furlong out, but when the opportunity arose he displayed a smart turn of foot to run down a more experienced and well-handicapped Popmaster, who is a speedy sort in his own right with form over six and seven furlongs.
Whether Roi de France is kept on the go through the winter remains to be seen, but he’s a borderline smart performer now, and a subsequent 5lb rise from the handicapper definitely underestimates him. He remains a horse to be positive about wherever he turns up next.
Marhaba Ghaiyyath (Charlie Johnston)
A 28,000 guineas yearling who is related to several winners, notably smart pair Fujaira Prince and Nichols Canyon (both stayed well), he shaped with a fair bit of promise on his debut over an extended mile at Wolverhampton this month.
He went like the best horse at the weights, held up in the rear in a race where the pace only picked up from halfway, the winner racing in a much more prominent position while Marhaba Ghaiyyath also had to wait for a gap two furlongs out.
Once in the clear, he quickened up nicely, only just failing to pick up the winner close home, and his performance can be upgraded further when taking sectionals into account. He was the only horse to run the last two furlongs under 23 seconds, while he was nearly a second quicker than the winner, almost certain to have made a winning debut under better circumstances. Marhaba Ghaiyyath is sure to pick up a similar event and will also come into his own when tackling middle distances.
Ormolulu (Gemma Tutty)
Ormolulu hasn’t won for over a year, but she is well treated on the pick of her efforts, and caught the eye on just her second start for Gemma Tutty at Southwell recently.
She was well backed on that occasion, but a slow start put her on the backfoot, and she did well to finish as close as he did from his position, doing all of her best work at the finish.
Ormolulu was an eyecatcher visually, but the clock also marks her as one to look out for next time, completing the last three furlongs quickest of all and 0.22 seconds quicker than the winner who also did well. Her slows starts are a slight concern, but hopefully her new yard can rectify that, and she is definitely one to keep an eye on from a handicapping perspective – she holds an entry over six furlongs at Wolverhampton next Tuesday.
Spitzbergen (Simon & Ed Crisford)
Spitzbergen is related to some useful winners in France and made a highly encouraging debut at Chelmsford earlier this month, beaten only a short-head by the favourite, who had the benefit of experience and looks promising in his own right.
That race was run at just an ordinary gallop and he was asked to do a lot from his position towards the rear of the field, while residual greenness and a wide trip were also contributing factors to him not making a winning start.
The manner in which he finished his race marks him out as an exciting prospect, though, produced to challenge in the final furlong but the ground he made up and inexperience told at the business end.
Spitzbergen was the only horse to complete the final three furlongs in under 35 seconds and was over half a second quicker than the winner over the same distance. There’s no doubt he’s up to winning a similar event next time, while he has the potential to develop into a useful performer, too.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
Fast Results
Scores
Racecards 
