Ground dries, Class Outs..

For the second big handicap in a row the ground changed dramatically towards the end of the week rendering mid-week thoughts fairly limp. That's racing sometimes. Whether really deep ground would have altered the result is hard to say because the winner was very, very good and dossed in.

A pleasing aspect was that the two handicappers ran their races even though the class horses at the top occupied the front three positions. Hold On Julio hit the frame with some firms by sticking on for 5th - deeper ground would certainly have aided his cause as he was always struggling to get traction with the pace of the race. And that pace was set for a very long way by Fruity O'Rooney who ran a screamer in 7th still right there at the 3m point before fading late. He is small in stature but lion-hearted. Both horses should pick up a decent handicap this season and The Package deserves special mention for reproducing his Badger Ales run after just a 3-week break.

In contrast to his pace-making rival, First Lieutenant is a really big strong horse (not in the Giant/Slow Police Horse mould of a Joncol or Soll mind). He headed the field when his class got him further into the race than Fruity O'R but was it his heart or his stamina that wilted? His seventh defeat in a row ceding second place to Tidal Bay in receipt of 7lbs again suggests he struggles to find a way to win and is happiest following others home. 

Tidal Bay looks set for his best season ever with top-class runs imminent as a 12yo and a threat to all. Really? Well, no. There's no doubting the amazing work done by Paul Nicholls to 'work out' the mental nuances of the horse and unlock more of his physical capabilities than his previous trainer. Nonetheless the enigma remains and Tidal Bay has not found a way to win any of his last 11 chases at G1 or G2 level - his run-style alone makes improving that statistic a daunting task as he nears retirement but what a fine, charismatic horse he continues to be.

Bobs Worth won impressively off 160. He was getting weight off Tidal Bay but consideration must be given to the style and deep impression of his win, moving well and picking up the leaders comfortably before going away. His HQ record speaks for itself and he rightly moves to the head of the Gold Cup betting. As is fast becoming the norm, as few runs as possible before the festival is the preferred route and only one more run is planned. It will be interesting to see, come March, how he responds to running with G1 elite level runners such as Long Run, Silviniaco Conti and....?