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Martin Dixon analysis | Horse Watchers review and horses to follow
Martin Dixon of The Horse Watchers provides a detailed update following a successful week for the syndicate featuring three wins.
Off to the sales on the back of a win
Island Native has been a star. He's done exactly what we hoped he would do when we bought him. He's very uncomplicated, tough and genuine and has won four races from 21 starts. He's improved from a mark of 58 from when we bought him up to what will be career-high rating in the mid-70s after his win at Chepstow last week. He's been really good fun to own, has won plenty of prize-money to pay his way and has given us a lot of enjoyment. He heads to the sales on Tuesday and we'll be looking to buy new horses who can do what he's done over the last 12 months.
Escarpment also goes to the sales. It took him a while to click, but since he's been fitted with blinkers he's been much more consistent and it's been good that we've managed to find the right opportunities for him to win a couple of races. Tom Marquand gave him a really good ride at Windsor last Monday. He had him in the right place all the way through and kept his mind on the job when he hit the front because he does save a little bit back for himself. I'd imagine he could be a good, fun dual-purpose horse going forward. He's a big, strong horse who is probably just coming to himself physically and it's been good that we managed to get a couple of wins into him at the right sort of level.
Recent runners
We were really pleased with Cymbidium at Thirsk on Saturday because it's the first horse we bought as a yearling that's won. She made a winning handicap debut at Thirsk, despite getting stopped in her run, and I though she did really well to get there considering she had conceded first run. She's out of a Galileo mare and looks like she stays well based on how she won over a mile at Thirsk, where she was very strong at the line. Hopefully she keeps on improving. There are a couple of options for her later in the month, including a race at the Ayr Western meeting.
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It was very frustrating that Salisbury got abandoned on Thursday as it looked like a prime opportunity for Zealot to go and win. He's ready to win soon. He's well handicapped now, he's found a consistent run of form and the encouraging thing last time was that he handled the slow ground really well when third at Goodwood where he was just run out of it late on having made most of the running.
That gives us hope we can find a race or two for him in the autumn. It means he's a lot more versatile than we thought he was for a long time; because he had such a good record on the all-weather we were constantly looking for all-weather opportunities. He is likely to go to Goodwood for a nine-furlong handicap on the September 25 but might have an entry for Chester this weekend.
Sonnerie Power looks ready to win as well. He struggled with a bit of sickness in the spring and wasn't quite himself, and he took time to get over that and find his confidence again. But we put a hood on him a few runs back and he's run three really consistent races. He seems to be more relaxed now and he's found his form and consistency. I'd be surprised if he wasn't able to pick up a race or two over the coming months.
At some point we'll try going up in trip beyond a mile and a half. We tried a mile and three-quarters after we first bought him and he didn't settle well enough to see it out, but now that he's relaxing a lot better there's potential for him to improve going beyond a mile and a half. He'll probably be kept to the all-weather surfaces as he handles it really well, and I'd like to think he's set fair for a good few months - his turn isn't far away.
We've largely kept Intervention to high-value handicaps over the last few months and he's been running consistently well. He's on a good mark on the pick of his all-weather form from earlier this year and the back-end of last year. He's a star and is still paying his way with prize-money in high-value races.
He's traditionally thrived through the winter months and is on a mark he can take advantage of through the all-weather season, but we'll keep trying him on the turf as well as he's shown he can be competitive in those races. We'll keep him busy because he thrives on his racing.
Coming up
Greenwich has been very frustrating. He's a horse with a lot more ability than his rating but he hasn't been showing it on his recent starts. He was a bit unlucky in his run at Newcastle last time as he was still travelling quite well but had nowhere to go, and after being hampered he didn't have much of a race after that. He runs at Newcastle on Tuesday and cheekpieces go on for the first time as we're not sure he's been putting everything in.
When it clicks he has a few wins in him, but it's a case of trying to find the right way to ride him and the right trip. I'm pretty sure he's more of an all-weather horse than a turf one. We think a patient ride over seven furlongs might be ideal, and that's probably what he will get on Tuesday. When we find the right combination he can win a few races, but it's been tricky to peg down exactly what he wants.
Penzance is coming back at the weekend providing the ground doesn't get too soft at Doncaster. There's a bit of a ground question mark, but he's ready to run again and has an entry for the mile-and-a-quarter handicap on Saturday. He seems in really good form. The last time we ran him at Yarmouth he just got a bit far back early on but finished off his race nicely. We've not wanted to rush him as we're aware there's a good all-weather campaign for him, and he did really well on the all-weather last year.
He's ready to go again and will probably have one run on the grass - hopefully at Doncaster - and then after that it will be geared towards the all-weather season and working back from the Easter Classic which he was second in earlier this year. He'll be targeted at all the high-value all-weather handicaps over the right sort of trip.
Baldomero was a bit unlucky at Goodwood the last time he ran. He was just starting to rally and still had a bit of a chance when he got squeezed out. I don't think he would have won, but I think he would have been a clear third and not far behind them had he not been hampered. He's on a good mark and has a couple of options at Doncaster and we're very likely to run him there. He's in good form and will appreciate any rain that falls.
New recruits
Royal Zabeel is a lightly-raced three-year-old who was a very easy winner of a maiden at Pontefract as a two-year-old. He's a good-looking horse who we bought in the July Sale. He's been gelded and has just started his training with Mick Appleby and will be ready to run by November.
We've also purchased a horse called Symbol of Light who is staying with Julie Camacho. He's a very talented all-weather horse with some really strong form through the last all-weather season. We were made aware of an opportunity to buy him to stay in the yard and we've taken that – there are still a couple of shares available.
He'll be aimed at the high-level handicaps, including All-Weather Finals Day, through the winter season. He's a horse we think has the form and ability to win a good prize on the all-weather.
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