Hugely promising debut at York from the exciting Spyce

August 22

Frustrating maybe, but, despite having suffered four second places in the last seven days, Alan has seen a fistful of reasons to be optimistic about what the second half of the Flat season might have in reserve for Barbury.

Perhaps none more so than the hugely encouraging debut of 28-1 shot Spyce in the Convivial Stakes at York today. I urge you to take time out to watch a re-run of this seven furlong maiden, and focus on Spyce from the start.

Spyce, bought for 280,000gns at Newmarket’s Craven meeting’s Breeze-Up Sale in April, is the most expensive two-year-old that Alan has bought.

He has been showing plenty of promise on the gallops at home, but with Aidan O’Brien, Andrew Balding and Karl Burke all saddling two-year-olds who had two or three runs already, we were never going to hear Alan screaming superlatives from the rooftops before the race.

Passing the half-way stage Spyce had only two of his 12 opponents behind him, and Rossa Ryan was doing his best to educate the Too Darn Hot colt, whose lack of experience was clearly showing and the penny had not yet dropped.

Suddenly at the two-pole, things seemed to drop into place and Spyce began to get the hang of things. Entering the final furlong it looked as if he might nick fourth place, yet finding another gear in the last 100 yards he really began to stretch out and, sweeping past both the Balding and Burke juveniles, he failed by only three parts of a length to catch the Ballydoyle-trained Frescobaldi, who is entered in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October.

Exciting times ahead, and, while Spyce has no fancy entries, doubtless Alan will be spending the week-end with his head buried in the programme book, searching for a suitable next race for a colt who could have a very bright future.

Like Spyce, Insanity hit the crossbar on the Knavesmire when beaten only a neck in the prestigious Melrose Handicap. Rossa Ryan, who settled Insanity beautifully towards the rear, repeatedly found the door slammed in his pace when he searched for daylight.

Firstly that wily veteran jockey John Egan, in his 58th year, firmly denied Rossa an escape route up the straight, and, at the furlong-pole Rossa again found himself squeezed for room. Yet in the last 100 yards he managed to drive insanity to the front, only to be immediately challenged by Asgard’s Captain, who, receiving 9lb, just managed to find that bit extra to get up on the line.

Insanity ran at this meeting last year, and from York he went on to the prestigious November Handicap at Doncaster, where he clearly ran well below form, trailing in last but one.  However, Insanity is running so much better than he was this time last year, so it will be interesting to see whether Alan earmarks Town Moor as his end of season target.