Such is the nature of ante-post wagering, dear reader, that we get involved early and hope that subsequent events conspire in our favour. When they do, we’re sitting pretty (though not actually paid out), and when they don’t, we are perched slightly less comfortably (though not actually dead in the water).
And so it was that this past weekend offered both ends of the pretty/less comfortable spectrum, as the fledgling Geegeez ante-post portfolio had two runners, who performed with contrasting merit.
First up was Casamento, who was sent off as favourite for the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy, and was bidding to truncate the odds from the 16′s (2000 Guineas) and 25′s (Derby) that I – and a number of you – am/are holding.
The record shows that Casamento did the business in professional, if slightly workmanlike, fashion. There was little of the pizazz of Frankel’s demolition jobs here. But then it is rarely the case that ‘demolition job’ horses prove as robust as ‘workmanlike’ horses when it comes time to ‘toe to toe’ it.
Our boy won by three-quarters of a length from Seville, the first of two Ballydoyle horses home – the other being Master Of Hounds – who completed the podium places.
The form looks strong, with all the right horses towards the fore of the field at the finish (with the exception of a listless Titus Mills), and Casamento was certainly dossing at the end here. I’m sure there was more in the tank, and I expect him to strengthen up over the winter and look a proper racehorse next season.
This contrasts with my suspicion that Frankel may not have the same scope to mature into a better horse next season. Of course, I’m no particular judge of these things, and I’m taking my cue here from people who know better than me. So if they’re wrong, I’ll be wrong.
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