After his easy win at Hexham, followed by a creditable effort at Wetherby, rightly or wrongly, we decided to get qualified for one of these “Go North” Challenges, and so it was off to a very windy Doncaster Saturday 29th Jan with high hopes that Romeo would run well. and regardless of the result, we would be half way towards qualification for the CHALLENGE FINAL in March with its £30k pot.
There are times though, especially after this race, when I wish we had Doctor Dolittle as a member of our small but loyal syndicate, in order for him to talk to Romeo and determine the reason for his disappointing run when finishing 9th of 15.
The vibes from Craiglands Farm were good, so perhaps the good Doctor could have told us what went wrong, but, alas, without him, the only excuse / reason I can offer would be the extremely strong winds which, at times, blew my breath away…as well as my cap !!
Romeo was all over the place, even blown onto the rails at one point, acc to Thomas Willmott our jockey.
The headwind in the home straight WAS extreme….yes it was the same for the rest of the runners you might say, but no other reason has emerged.
Romeo ate up the following morning and was happy to buck and kick and enjoy an hour or so in the paddock.
He`s been dropped 1 lb…thats right 16 oz …for that performance at Doncaster, so perhaps the handicapper is also of the same opinion as me.
Who needs Dr D.
Richard
