Simply A Legend

5th-Dec-2015

I am backing Simply A Legend here.  He is strong in the market already this morning, but the 7/1 at which you can back him is still too big in my book.

Alan King’s horse was off the track for 519 days before he returned in a handicap hurdle at Sandown last month, but he was a progressive novice before his break, and he shaped really encouragingly on his comeback run.

Winner of his maiden hurdle and a novice hurdle in the spring of 2014, he was given a handicap rating of 122 for that race four weeks ago, which was fair, 6lb lower than the mark off which he raced before his break, and he ran really well on his comeback run.

He was a little keener than ideal through the early stages of the race, which was understandable, he is a keen-going sort anyway, and that was his first run in a year and a half.  Even so, he moved well when the pace picked up down the back straight, and he travelled best of all into the home straight.  He was level with the winner Clondaw Banker at the second last flight, but his early exertions and lack of a recent run took their toll from there, and he just kept on to finish third behind the useful winner.

The handicapper raised him just 1lb for that, which was more than fair, it leaves him on a mark of 123 for today, still 5lb lower than his peak.  He is only six and he still has scope for progression.  We know that he goes well at Sandown and on soft ground, and the slight step up in trip today should not be an issue.

Alan King’s horses are in top form and, if Simply A Legend can settle better today than he did last month – which is more than possible, that run should have taken some of the freshness out of him – he should step up on that run, and he doesn’t have to step up an awful lot to give him a big chance of winning this.

SIMPLY A LEGEND WON (ADV 7/1, SP 6/1)