Parlando ran no sort of race in the Northern Dancer on Saturday but he’s a horse I’d remain fairly positive about when he gets on a more conventional course.
Ezeliya obviously buried the Dubawi Epsom Classic hoodoo with Oaks victory on Friday but it’s true that plenty of the great sire’s progeny don’t show their true colours at this venue and Parlando looked to be hating everything about it. And he didn’t stay the mile and a half trip for good measure.
With good form at Newcastle in November (second off level weight to the now 97-rated Fantastic Fox) and winner of a valuable pot on the flat-as-a-pancake turf track in Bahrain earlier this year, Ian Williams’ horse has now run Chester and Epsom on his last two starts and just not looked at home at all. Prior to that, on his return to the UK, he encountered dreadful ground when he was well held in the Lincoln at Doncaster.
Parlando will no doubt come down the weights a bit for this latest effort and can strike at a big price somewhere more suitable back over 10 furlongs on a sound surface in the coming weeks.
Plenty of quality horses have been beaten in the Derby-day opener over the years, including the likes of Poet’s Word, who was fourth in the 2016 edition of the 10-furlong, three-year-old handicap before going in to win Group 1 races later in life.
There are a few from this year’s race to whom I’d be willing to give another chance, not least seventh Whiskey Pete (may want genuinely testing ground) and Bubbles Wonky (too keen here), but sixth home Cool Legend is the one to follow in the short term.
He looked quite interesting dropping in trip following a disappointing comeback run over a mile and a half at York’s Dante meeting, but in the end found this a totally insufficient test of stamina, the winner Persica dictating matters under a canny front-running ride from Sean Levey.
Towards the back of the field early, Cool Legend was not in a great spot and looked tapped for toe as they started the turn for home – only able to stay on to no avail once the bird had flown.
A proper end-to-end gallop will suit this son of Sea The Stars much better and William Haggas will probably consider going back up in trip following this display too. He probably won’t make the cut for the big ones at Royal Ascot but is going to be very dangerous wherever he turns up next, especially if eased another pound or two in the ratings.
Rossa Ryan was brilliant on Blue Storm in the 3YO “Dash”, switching left at a crucial moment to end up making his winning move more towards the middle of the track for one drawn in the highest stall (20) tight to the stands’ side rail.
At the very moment he switched, Oisin Murphy was getting trapped for room and had to sit and suffer on Sturlasson, who thrust home late to be beaten just under a length.
The runner-up will be nudged up the ratings for this too but he'd looked to have turned a corner when winning his maiden on decent ground at Navan last month and this confirmed he's back on the up.
Second to Commonwealth Cup hope Buccanero Fuerte on debut last spring, Kieran Cotter’s grey has the look of a well-handicapped horse heading into the Palace Of Holyrood House at Royal Ascot.
Another Epsom handicap in which the winner dominated throughout, with Karl Burke's Bolster making just about every yard and holding the late lunge of Paradias to narrowly win the 10-furlong handicap for older horses.
Back in sixth, his stablemate (and narrowly preferred in the market though there wasn’t much in it) Liberty Lane, the 9/2 favourite, was repeatedly blocked in his run, with Clifford Lee eventually just accepting the situation and coasting home with no chance of even getting close.
Liberty Lane is likely to be plying his trade in Group company before long, likewise the luckless fourth Haunted Dream, but eventual third Derry Lad can land a nice handicap before long.
He'd looked to be on the way back to form when third at Naas and confirmed that impression with this staying-on performance down the wide outside, having been held up and initially denied a clear passage.
His form figures when travelling to England now read 411363 and all ground seems to come alike, though he has looked a relatively weak finisher on soft/heavy in the past so he could be in for a productive summer.
A little earlier on day one, Bopedro teed himself up for a return to Royal Ascot with another good run in the Trustatrader Handicap over the extended mile.
Eighth in the 2022 Hunt Cup and drawn on the wrong side when down the field in last season’s Buckingham Palace, those efforts have come off marks of 103 and 101 so he’s looking well treated again these days (97) and looked back to himself when next best behind York specialists Point Lynas and Northern Express at the Dante meeting.
Drawn 10 at Epsom, Bopedro had to settle for a rear position through the early stages and he just had to be niggled along to hold his pitch coming down the hill. The pace quickened again and between the three-furlong pole and the two he was starting to make a forward move on the inside rail until Notre Belle Bete came across him and forced Jason Watson to briefly lose some momentum.
The race was effectively over for David O’Meara’s eight-year-old from that point but he stayed on nicely and, having registered his two UK handicap wins from marks of 97 and 98, he’s definitely sitting on a good mark (97) right now and may even be eased a fraction more following reassessment.
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