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Post Race Video Update (opens in new tab)

There were no owners at Market Rasen due to Coronavirus restrictions and thus there are no photos from the day.  It was strange having a runner and not going to the races, but it did not seem appropriate to travel halfway across the country for racing with government restrictions in place to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

There was obviously, therefore, no pre-race to describe, so let’s get straight down to the action!

James Best was riding for us and whilst we were hoping Fr Humphrey could get to the front, we did tell James that he should not overexert him early to avoid the risk of a repeat of his previous burst blood vessel.  He jumped off front rank on the outside but several were wanting to go forward and he was 4th or 5th when jumping the first well and he jumped to the lead at the second but others passed him again on the flat and he jumped the next couple in 4th place and was 3rd entering the home straight for the first time.  He was good at the first two in the straight and safe over the last with a circuit to run dropping back to 5th as six went clear.

They headed to the back straight for the last time and he was quick at the first there jumping up to 3rd.  He lost that position at the ditch when he put in an extra stride and he was not super tidy at the last two in the back looking like he might be getting outpaced.  He was 5th and rousted along by James as they left the back but he responded to James’ urging to take 4th as they moved onto the last bend and 3rd as they swung into the home straight.  He jumped into a clear 2nd at the first in the straight and looked like he could even win but his momentum was dropping and he was joined in 2nd over two out.  He jumped the last in a share of 2nd two lengths down on the leader and was run into 3rd on the run-in beaten by just under five lengths.

Obviously, this is a lower level of form than he was showing this time last year but it is hard to be certain that this is a factor of him getting older as opposed to just not running as well as he can.  He had issues after pulling up last time so can hardly be blamed for not being at his optimal level next time up.

Neil was pleased with the run and thought he had taken a big step forward and noted that aside from the run-out and pulled up effort, that Humphrey had been pretty consistent this season albeit consistently 3rd or 4th.  James reported that he was pleased with the race Fr Humphrey ran and that this was a step back in the right direction and that Fr Humphrey might be able to get his head in front again soon in a similar race.