Fleet Dawn

30th-Mar-2013

Fleet Dawn is being well backed now this morning but he is still a little bigger than he should be in my book at 15/2.

Brian Ellison’s horse really caught the eye at Wetherby in November behind a well-handicapped horse in Pas Trop Tard (who went on to win again really impressively on his next start), and he bumped into another really progressive horse back at Wetherby on his next run (who has gone on to win the Premier Hurdle at Kelso, beating the very well-regarded Eduard).

On both of those runs, Fleet Dawn was the only one really able to go with the two well-handicapped horses, and the way he stuck on himself on both occasions (just losing second in the first of them, and finishing second in the second of them) suggests that he is not badly treated at all himself.

Also, he will probably be suited by two and a half miles. His racing style suggests as much, and he is a half-brother to Aegean Dawn, who beat Dynaste in a handicap hurdle at the Paddy Power meeting at Cheltenham a few years ago over two miles and five furlongs when the pair of them finished miles clear of the rest.

On his most recent run, Fleet Dawn was the stable’s second string and, although there was some money for him, the stable first string was also really well backed and won convincingly. Fleet Dawn was given a considerate ride, held up a long way off the pace, but he was making nice progress around the home turn when he ran right into a pocket, and he wasn’t persevered with after that. This time he seems to be the first-string of the five Ellison runners, stable jockey Danny Cook is on board, and he is wearing a first-time tongue-tie which suggests today could be the day for him. The way he has been backed this morning adds fuel to that notion.

He should be suited by slightly better ground than he has been running on – it is drying out all the time at Haydock and he won twice on quick ground last summer – and he has had just six runs over hurdles, so he has plenty of scope for progression.

FLEET DAWN WON (ADV 15/2, SP 7/1)

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