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A competitive handicap but not chockful of potential and the majority were making their reappearances, the winner a lot lower in the weights than when runner-up in this race 12 months earlier and he was always going well towards the fore.
The one who caught the eye was Expressionless, who was returning from six months off over a trip short of his optimum.
He raced off the pace, but was pushed along from two furlongs out, doing all of his best work in the closing stages to finish never nearer than at the finish. Expressionless seems sure to come forward from this outing and he's one to look out for in the coming weeks, especially if moving back up in trip.
Though there were three ahead of him in the betting in this open-looking 0-100 three-year-old handicap, Back In Black produced the sort of performance that marked him out as one to follow this season, especially considering that his was the only win on the card that didn’t go to a prominent racer.
Third behind a subsequent listed winner in a nursery when last seen seven months previously, Back In Black improved again to land a ready success. He raced on the near side and didn’t settle fully off the pace, however that didn’t hamper his closing effort as he made headway two furlongs out before scooting clear at the furlong marker.
He'll stay 1m and there should be even more to come, bred to be smart after all being out of a half-sister to Awesometank whose five wins included two listed races over a mile.
The nine-year-old Flemens Intrest is quickly making up for lost time, having only made his racecourse debut in November 2023, and followed up his recent C&D success in similarly decisive fashion at Limerick on Thursday.
Held up in mid-division by his regular claimer John Shinnick, Flemens Intrest made smooth headway after three out, and led approaching two out where he was left a couple of lengths clear.
He was defying a 10 lb rise in the weights here, and another steep rise looms, but such is his rate of progression that it would be no surprise were this brother to the useful hurdler/smart chaser Beshabar – whose finest moment came when winning the Scottish Grand National this week back in 2011 - to complete a hat-trick.
Two well-bred newcomers by Sea The Stars finished clear of the rest in this maiden, much as the betting suggested beforehand, with Harry Eustace’s runner-up Sea of Kings shaping particularly well in second.
Costing €250,000 as a foal, he’s bred in the purple, being out of a mare who has produced numerous winners, including several good ones in Italy, but also Irish/Yorkshire Oaks winner and Arc runner-up Sea of Class, a full sister to Sea of Kings.
Clearly green having missed the break, Sea of Kings got the hang of things as the race progressed and made good headway in the straight, going second in the final furlong and finishing with running left to be beaten a length and three quarters by even-money favourite Munsif. Bred to be suited by a mile and a half in time, Sea of Kings is sure to progress and well up to winning races.
Mordor had got back on track over hurdles last month, when 17 lengths eighth of 24 to Wodhooh in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham despite having met trouble early on, and he again found some traffic problems back on the Flat at Navan on Tuesday.
The Gordon Elliott-trained five-year-old ran well whilst leaving the firm impression he has an even bigger effort in him granted more of a test. Patiently ridden, he was making good headway when not getting a clear run two furlongs out, forced to switch approaching the final furlong before rallying close home.
He’s one to look out for in big 14-16f handicaps over the next few months.
The former Nicky Richards-trained Saracen Beau was pulled up when last seen at Haydock in November but that was a Grade 2 on soft ground which clearly wasn’t to his liking.
However, having switched to Lucinda Russell, Saracen Beau shaped well after four months off at Kelso on Monday, the pace too steady to get to the bottom of him. He tracked the leaders, was making an effort when edging right after two out, but then jumped left at the last before running on.
He's still unexposed, particularly with stiffer tests likely to suit, and is one to look out for when stepped up in distance in the future.
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