| 12 Apr
| Which brings us to the pleasant surprise in the group with
Saunton Sands. Now, when you get a horse bred by the trainer and
he has very few 2yo runners and even rarer winners you don't expect much.
You suspect you are going to see a rabbit like Percy's C. or a bits-and-pieces
stodgy mover like Sharp D. or some other combinations of disappointments.
The piece below that headline says the dam never won in 4 seasons (she
ended her 5yo season on January 1st to add some meaningless 'to be fair')
and has produced a half brother who didn't achieve a worthwhile rating
in three runs in two seasons. At which point the expectation levels don't
shift the needle at all.
But the horse is much better than that and in a brief summary if this thing
can't win at 2yo it's the trainer who's cocked it up and not the paddock
reviewer. He came into the pre-parade in a full rug and was jig-jogging
away. He has four white socks which can make any horse look more athletic
than they are but you satisfy yourself he can actually move ok and it's
isn't just go-faster-stripes. He's close to the tallest in the field and
is more heavily built than most and more so than Dazzling Dust and is deeper
bodied. The picture shows him unrugged and when he had settled down and
carrying his head down and doesn't show him to his best. You might well
say he looks a little stodgy although his overall shape, balance &
maturity is fine. For comparison the lass leading him is probably close
to 5' 8'' and much taller than the girl with Percy's Corismatic.
It's at this point you hope he doesn't finish a promising third or reveal
his promise more widely. He starts at 33/1 and you hope for a run well
buried away that looks dreadful in the form book so he's be at least that
next time. His trainer's lack of preparation helps and he runs a un-noticed
race. Slow out of the stalls he shows some promise in getting to the front
of the outpaced group at halfway before being allowed to drift back and
be eased later on. The jockey gives him a quiet and educational ride. When
he got a bit tired he showed a more reaching, galloping stride, rather
than a quick-snap sprinter and this along with his strong build suggest
he might need time and a 6f+.
If you go back and look at his pedigree you can convince yourself it is
a bit more usable than it looks. His dam cost 20,000 guineas although by
a middling (at best) stallion so presumably she had some positives. She
made her debut on March 31st at 2yo and almost made the first three in
some minor races. Her first foal was by the poor sire Zaha and this one
is by Best Of The Bests who would rate a better bet. He had a good enough
start with his first 2yos in 2006 and four different 5f winners. 2007 was
less good but he wouldn't be a real negative.
To make the point try looking at these pictures 2yos by Best Of The Bests
and compare them to Saunton Sands. Here's a small and no good one - Princess
Zada = well he must be better than her. This one is Langham
House who would have a similar profile - an owner bred for a trainer
who doesn't have much of a record with 2yos. Well, more like him, a bigger
type but less well built and not as neatly put together as Saunton Sands.
He managed 4th places in 7-8f maidens at minor courses and got an OR70
and you would think Saunton Sands could do better. The best 2yo by the
sire so far is probably Resplendent
Alpha who was a very strongly built, bull, of a shorter juvenile. He
won a couple of races and finished on an OR86 rating. Well, he's a bigger
frame and perhaps as strong although we don't know if the parts add up
to a whole that can shift itself adequately.
Anyway, definitely one to track and see how he develops because he's much
better than his pedigree, trainer and 9th on debut at 33/1 make him sound.
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![[Picture]](../../08_Publish_Pics/SauntonSands_080409_bath1.jpg){kind=link}
