The versatile Finest View rattles off another win at Stratford
July 3
Like all trainers, Alan has found it really difficult to make running plans for his horses in such a prolonged dry spell, but there are a few of the Barbury team who relish fast ground, one being Finest View, who got July off to a flying start for the stable when winning a novice chase at Stratford on Tuesday.
Alan knows Finest View’s family inside out – he trained the sire (Passing Glance), dam (Call Me A Legend) and the ‘grandad’ (Midnight Legend) – and the versatile Finest View has done her owner-breeders, the Pitchall Stud, proud, this being her third success over fences, the mare having also won five over hurdles plus a bumper.
Finest View kicked off her hat-trick of successes this summer at Huntingdon in May, but Alan has always thought that she was better going left-handed, and in what looked a tight four-runner contest on form at Stratford, she was always travelling like the winner, and, despite a stumble over the final flight, had the finishing speed to put the race to bed quickly on the run-in.
Tom Cannon, delighted with Finest View, said:”She is on a crest of the wave just now, and the team at home have done a great job with her. She enjoys this fast ground and, though she is creeping up the handicap, she will hopefully win another one and could even pick up a little black type race.”
Alan said:”Finest View is a very good mare. She won four off the bounce, but then got a nasty bout of colic after running at Cartmel in 2022, and it took her a long time to recover from that.
“She now seems to have got her confidence back, and I don’t worry that she takes a little look when she gets to the front as it stops her over-racing and charging off a bit, She was a bit free in her bumper days but has now learned to relax.”
Alan has declared Trueshan for tomorrow’s Coral Marathon at Sandown. The nine-year-old won this Listed race 12 months ago on good ground, and how Alan would love clerk of the course, Andrew Cooper, to be able to remove the ‘good to firm in places’ from his official going description.
However, the forecast for the Esher area is no rain until Saturday, so Alan, delighted how well Trueshan ran to finish fourth on his reappearance at Longchamp last month, is hoping that the weathermen, so much more reliable these days, might have got it wrong.
Trueshan is in great form at home, and with the season ticking by too quickly and the fact that he has no G1 penalty to shoulder this year. Alan and the veteran’s enthusiastic band of owners are itching to get back on track. We all need rain badly, and, from a selfish point of view, give it to us now!
