Phineas put in a lovely performance at Clairefontaine. He was taking a pull for the majority of the race and still managed to get it done.
I think we could be dealing with a Group 2, and potentially a Group 1 horse with Phineas. Once he learns to settle, he could be a proper weapon. Maxim Guyon knew what he had under the bonnet, so he wasn't worried about forfeiting ground by going three wide for the best part of two furlongs. Once he asked for his effort, he picked up and put in a dominant win.
Ghostwriter isn't the same horse of old; you'd have to be foolish to think he would be after such a lengthy absence, but I did think this type of race was something he could have won. In my opinion, if he's not winning at that level, retire him, and he'll go to stud for Amo racing. He's been a very solid horse in his career even without winning a Group 1.
The other runner on the day was a non-runner.
Calico Blue 9/4 (1pt) – Chester 3.20
The price is getting on the short side for Calico Blue, and I wouldn't recommend getting involved at anything lower than what he currently is. However, he is more than capable of winning a race like this, and if is going to win a Class 1 race, it's probably best to back him at Chester.
Calico Blue is 3/3 at this venue, which is a huge positive. We see horses through the years returning to Chester as specialists of the track, and they are always dangerous to ignore. He is improving as a sprinter, but seems to save his best for this track.
This is undoubtedly the harder assignment to date, but based on how he won last time, there could be a fair chunk to come. Luckily for him, he has a low draw, like he did last time. That should allow him to sit close to the pace and pounce whenever Ray Dawson tells him to.
There are plenty of interesting horses in this race that are mostly aimed at Lifeplan. If Calico Blue doesn't win, I'd like to see Lifeplan win for Declan Carroll. It's great to see the smaller trainers get smart horses, and this horse won the Gimcrack last year, but we haven't seen him since. We see smart juveniles not being able to translate their form when they get older, so for that reason alone, I had to dodge him.
GambleAware