Against The Wind Breezes To Success

Pure speed is an exciting prospect to watch and probably even more of a thrill to ride. You have to be careful though, as it has to be utilised in the correct way to ensure success. Against The Wind is a seriously fast horse and he was able to burn his rivals off when bolting up in the 5f Highboy Wimbledon Sports Welcome Offer Handicap at Southwell.

The chestnut 3yo came into this season with some big expectations. He made the perfect start when he returned to action at Thirsk, winning comfortably. Next time out he finished third at York where he gave away a lot of ground by hanging right handed. It was clear that Against The Wind was improving with each run and there was a big prize in him. Unfortunately he didn’t handle the track when he went to Epsom for the 3yo dash.

Southwell does favour quick horses and with a good prize fund, the 5f race looked the perfect race for Against The Wind. Tom Eaves was in the saddle as the pair looked to get back on track. Having won on the all-weather as a juvenile, the surface was of no issue despite the jockeys saying it was riding quite deep.

In his usual manner, Against The Wind was quickly away and straight to the fore. Taking the lead towards the far side, Tom gradually edged over, looking to get closer to the stands side. Against The Wind set a good gallop in front but was racing within Tom’s hands.

By halfway Against The Wind had a good few of his rival under pressure, unable to match his speed. The chestnut continued to stride along in front but Tom was not going to give his advantage away. With the lead he looked to put the race to bed and got to work moving inside the 2f pole. Still edging over, Against The Wind began to lengthen and open up a larger lead.

Those who had given chase couldn’t match the leader and the ones in rear never really got into it until late. Against The Wind was in a league of his own and as they moved into the final furlong, he really opened up. There was no stopping him as Against The Wind continued to kick clear. His rivals never saw which way he went as Against The Wind bolted up by 2 3/4 lengths.

Winning by a margin like that is not common over a fast 5f and this performance was very impressive. Against The Wind is a fast horse but he has class too and showed here what was always thought of him. Obviously the handicapper will have a big say after this performance and it will dictate where he goes next but the future looks promising for Against The Wind.3