Scrutinise: progress shows no sign of relenting.
How far can he fly? That was the question on the lips of plenty after Scrutinise continued on his steep upward curve at Goodwood on Wednesday, accounting for a competitive field of older horses with a tenacious success in the mile and a half handicap.
Having yet to finish outside the first two this season and arriving on the back of a bloodless win at Thirsk, Scrutinise seemed to have conditions in his favour receiving plenty of weight on his favoured testing ground.
However, it was far from plain sailing in the hands of Paul Hanagan. The leaders barely broke out of a canter in the early stages and running room was at a premium as the field gravitated towards the stands’ rail. Scrutinise found himself shuffled back as a result, allowing the tough yardstick Notarised to steal a march inside the two.
But Scrutinise, as the only three-year-old in the line-up, was able to find running room over a furlong out. And he answered every rallying call of his pilot, sticking his neck out and flapping his ears back, steering a course between horses to battle to the front with 100 yards left to run. His jockey only needed to resort to hands and heels in the end, with the winning margin a comfortable neck.
Scrutinise holds an entry in the valuable Old Rowley Cup in two weeks’ time, which could be a potential next step, while the November Handicap would seem a logical end-of-season target given his relish for ease underfoot. However, the horse also holds an entry in the HIT Sale so it will be his owners – Thurloe Thoroughbreds – who steer a course through the autumn. One thing for certain is that the hat-trick is very much on the cards.