Young Rascal

9th-May-2018

There may not be much between Ispolini and Hunting Horn again here.  They finished second and third respectively behind Sevenna Star in the Classic Trial at Sandwon 12 days ago.

I’m not sure that Hunting Horn should be the shorter price of the pair of them today.  Aidan O’Brien’s horse probably had to come from further back than ideal at Sandown, and he didn’t have a lot of room through the final 150 yards, but Ispolini had got into a battle for the lead with Chilean from the run to the two-furlong pole, and he kept on well all the way to the line.  Also, Hunting Horn had had a run, whereas Ispolini was making his seasonal debut.

That said, Aidan O’Brien has won the last five renewals of this race.  That is obviously significant, but it is factored into Hunting Horn’s odds.

The value of the race in my book, however, is Young Rascal.  William Haggas’ horse didn’t make his racecourse debut until last November, when he stayed on well to take an admittedly remote second place behind his stable companion My Lord And Master in a one-mile maiden at Nottingham.  The race looks solid, the winner was only just beaten in a listed race at Epsom two weeks ago on his only run since, while the third horse won his only race since, and the fourth horse won at Goodwood on Saturday.

Young Rascal stepped forward on his debut this season in winning an 11-furlong maiden at Newbury.  He was a little green through the early stages of that race but, taken to the outside early in the home straight, he stayed on really impressively all the way to the line to win well.  The fourth horse has since run well in defeat, and the sixth horse won a novice stakes at Thirsk yesterday.

That was Young Rascal’s seasonal debut and it was just the second run of his life, so it is reasonable to assume that there he will progress from that run, possibly significantly.  The extended 12-furlong trip should suit him well, and he is nicely drawn in stall two.

YOUNG RASCAL WON (ADV 4/1, SP 100/30)