HEARTSTRING was looking to improve again and this time had Paddy Mathers on board in the Book Now For Saturday 20th October Nursery Handicap 5f, Class 5, £4,787.06
HEARTSTRING, having received her Official Rating 68, was now ready to face the challenges of her first Novice Handicap. Catterick had been carefully chosen as the venue as going was Firm, Good to Firm in places when the entry was made. This is the going she prefers. However after we had declared at the two day window the heavens opened and by the time we raced the official going was Good, Good to Soft in places. After the first race all the jockeys were saying the going was actually Soft. Certainly the way the course cut up supported this.This was going to be new for HEARTSTRING.
HEARTSTRING was out of the stalls promptly and tucked in behind Jason Hart on REPEATAFTERME who planned to make the running from the front. However the soft going was not to her liking and she failed to get on terms with the leaders. With half a furlong to go and the race gone from her she was eased home finishing 10th.
The front two had it between them in the final furlong. FREE LOVE ran well in defeat plenty of times for Tom Clover but the switch to Michael Appleby paid immediate dividends as she stayed on strongly despite edging to her left in the closing stages. She has raced exclusively over the minimum trip but looks well worth a go over slightly further. JILL ROSE was always to the fore down the centre and went down fighting. She handled the drop back to 5f fine and looks capable of opening her account soon. AMAZING ALBA hasn't really progressed in novice events but this first handicap run was much more encouraging. Always on the front end, she stuck to her task well and she too looks capable of opening her account soon.