Opposition
Opposition had done well over the Winter and he tackled one and a half miles for the first time on his handicap debut. The son of Dalakhani had shown promise in three mile maidens at two and started favourite in the eight runner field. James Doyle soon had him racing handily tracking the leader in the early stages of the race and the second favourite Purple Raven had him in his sights sat in behind. Entering the straight he was travelling noticably well and Purple Raven was soon in trouble and began to back pedal quickly. Opposition kept galloping strongly and won comfortably with the Mark Johnston trained Regal Monarch staying on for second five lengths clear of the third.
It is likely there was not much depth to the race given the disappointing run of the second favourite but it was hard not to be impressed with the way Opposition won. He looks to be a progressive stayer and we hope he can win some more races during the 2016 campaign. The handicapper will have his say on Tuesday when he reassesses him but we hope he takes into consideration the fact it may not have been the strongest of races.
Congratulations must go to his owners Highclere who have been very patient with their good looking grey. We hope you have an exciting season with him and that he can continue to go forward from this. It is fantastic to see all the horses at La Grange running well and it was great to get a winner on Saturday after we had two horses run well but finish placed earlier in the day. Everyone is working hard to ensure the team has a successful season and we hope the hard work continues to pay off throughout the season.