More disappointment on Saturday. Prince Ary went off 6-4 favourite but was comfortably beaten by Pouvoir. Berkhamsted finished down the field.
I think the Prince Ary run was there or thereabouts par. I was surprised he went off favourite – Pouvoir had some hype about him and looked a natural favourite to me given that he was receiving 6lb. The going was softer than ideal – he made a mess of the third last which he appeared to get away from ok but I think it cost him a few lengths. A fair run but no cigar and looking a shade short of Cheltenham class at the moment.
Berkhamsted travelled on the bit for most of the race but didn’t quicken when he needed to. Jim Crowley rode – he said there was no pace on early and that effectively killed his chance. I’m happy with the explanation – I’m running out of time to get a win out of him before the sales though. Hopefully there will be one last chance.
Mon Michel was down to run tomorrow but he trod on something on Saturday and is not quite right. He should be ok in a day or two – he may run at Ascot on Saturday. I had a good chat with Gary Moore today – he gets animated talking about Mon Michel as he eats so much. He’s going through a bit of a growth spurt and he’s put on a fair bit of muscle, which is very positive. King’s Head, the other horse we have with Gary, has been coming on a bit more slowly as he had an infection after being gelded. He has very small hooves and needs firmer ground – I’m looking forward to him coming out as he should be a nice prospect.