Aspire To Glory and Sycamore: Yarmouth and Nottingham post-race reviews
02 Aug 2024
A busy week for the Coral Racing Club saw Aspire To Glory and Sycamore return to competitive action at Yarmouth and Nottingham for trainers Alice Haynes and Scott Dixon.
We kicked off at Yarmouth on Tuesday where Aspire To Glory made his second appearance of the month, stepping back up to a mile in a Class 6 contest. Apprentice jockey Christian Howarth was tasked with the ride, who knows Aspire To Glory well having ridden him last year at the course and doing several pieces of work with him at home.
Aspire To Glory broke well from the gates, but was restrained by Christian to have him held up at the rear of the field which wasn't a concern as we know that's what suits our gelding the most whether running over seven furlongs or a mile. As they hit the four furlong marker, the pair began to make stealthy headway through the middle of the pack with several rivals already off the bridle.
Under hands and heels Aspire To Glory kept galloping as they entered the closing stages, but unfortunately he couldn't move quite as quick as some of his opponents on the rattling fast ground and was unable to get any closer to those at the head of proceedings. He stuck to his task well however and eventually came home in fifth place having passed Zafaan, Jaunty Dancer and Got No Dollars in the final furlong and a half.
There was certainly some positives to take from the run, including how well he stuck to his task despite not enjoying the ground, but it's more than likely that Alice will keep Aspire To Glory away from Good to Firm ground in future and could even seek out another all-weather opportunity if the right one arises.
WATCH: Post-race video update from trainer Alice Haynes
Sycamore was the next Coral Racing Club runner to race, taking part in a Class 5 handicap at Nottingham on Thursday afternoon as he went in search of back-to-back victories at the track.
Our Scott Dixon trained seven-year-old broke tardily from the stalls under Dale Swift and consequently lost a couple of lengths straight away to most of the field, which was far from ideal. Gone Rogue, trained by Charlie Johnston, looked to be setting a pretty decent pace throughout the first half of the race, and as they turned the bend for home was five lengths clear of the chasing pack. The well-supported favourite, Adelabella, was in hot pursuit however, along with the Hugo Palmer trained Wonder Smile and re-opposing Terries Royale who Sycamore beat last time out at Nottingham.
Dale tried his best to get Sycamore to close the gap from the rear of the field, but it was always going to be difficult to make any impression after his poor start. After giving all he could, Sycamore was eased down in the final stages of the race to let him come home in his own time, eventually finishing last of eight.
Post-race update from Scott Dixon
"Sycamore was OK after his race, although Dale [Swift] said he was just never travelling as well as he’d have liked, and when we had a look at him the morning after, he was just a little bit sore around his fetlocks.
We will treat that soreness, it is nothing out of the ordinary and will only require a break of a couple of weeks, so we’ll turn him out, and a combination of a short rest and the medication will see him right.
We know he's better than he showed there, so in a way it's a relief to know why he ran has he did, but as I say it's not a major issue and we won't lose much time."
We kicked off at Yarmouth on Tuesday where Aspire To Glory made his second appearance of the month, stepping back up to a mile in a Class 6 contest. Apprentice jockey Christian Howarth was tasked with the ride, who knows Aspire To Glory well having ridden him last year at the course and doing several pieces of work with him at home.
Aspire To Glory broke well from the gates, but was restrained by Christian to have him held up at the rear of the field which wasn't a concern as we know that's what suits our gelding the most whether running over seven furlongs or a mile. As they hit the four furlong marker, the pair began to make stealthy headway through the middle of the pack with several rivals already off the bridle.
Under hands and heels Aspire To Glory kept galloping as they entered the closing stages, but unfortunately he couldn't move quite as quick as some of his opponents on the rattling fast ground and was unable to get any closer to those at the head of proceedings. He stuck to his task well however and eventually came home in fifth place having passed Zafaan, Jaunty Dancer and Got No Dollars in the final furlong and a half.
There was certainly some positives to take from the run, including how well he stuck to his task despite not enjoying the ground, but it's more than likely that Alice will keep Aspire To Glory away from Good to Firm ground in future and could even seek out another all-weather opportunity if the right one arises.
WATCH: Post-race video update from trainer Alice Haynes
Sycamore was the next Coral Racing Club runner to race, taking part in a Class 5 handicap at Nottingham on Thursday afternoon as he went in search of back-to-back victories at the track.
Our Scott Dixon trained seven-year-old broke tardily from the stalls under Dale Swift and consequently lost a couple of lengths straight away to most of the field, which was far from ideal. Gone Rogue, trained by Charlie Johnston, looked to be setting a pretty decent pace throughout the first half of the race, and as they turned the bend for home was five lengths clear of the chasing pack. The well-supported favourite, Adelabella, was in hot pursuit however, along with the Hugo Palmer trained Wonder Smile and re-opposing Terries Royale who Sycamore beat last time out at Nottingham.
Dale tried his best to get Sycamore to close the gap from the rear of the field, but it was always going to be difficult to make any impression after his poor start. After giving all he could, Sycamore was eased down in the final stages of the race to let him come home in his own time, eventually finishing last of eight.
Post-race update from Scott Dixon
"Sycamore was OK after his race, although Dale [Swift] said he was just never travelling as well as he’d have liked, and when we had a look at him the morning after, he was just a little bit sore around his fetlocks.
We will treat that soreness, it is nothing out of the ordinary and will only require a break of a couple of weeks, so we’ll turn him out, and a combination of a short rest and the medication will see him right.
We know he's better than he showed there, so in a way it's a relief to know why he ran has he did, but as I say it's not a major issue and we won't lose much time."
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