Catterick The Winning Code Again
There are some tracks that just suit certain horses. Whilst two wins does not confirm that you are a course specialist, it does prove positive. Crack The Code had shed his maiden tag at Catterick and was winning once again when taking the 5f Racing To School Nursery Handicap.
Crack The Code took his time to grasp what racing was about and it was clear that handicapping would benefit him. Once his attention turned to nurseries, the gelding has thrived and improved with each run. After winning over 6f he looked to back that up at Thirsk but everything went wrong that day.
Having shown plenty of speed in his last couple of runs, Crack The Code would drop back to 5f in an attempt to get back on track. Typically at this level the race looked very competitive, but Crack The Code seemed to be slightly overlooked, owing to his last performance.
Tom eaves was in the saddle once again and after making a quick start, he sent the gelding forward. When it gets soft at Catterick the jockeys favour the stands side and this was immediately the plan. Crack The Code had been drawn in stall 2, not ideal with his in mind but having been quickly into stride he managed to get to the fore.
Charging through the first half of the race, the 2yo’s were not hanging about. Tom was forced to race more towards the centre of the track but his mount travelled strong on the front end. With 2f to run the race was on but one look to the outer of the field saw Tom motionless on board Crack The Code. As his rivals came under pressure, the gelding cruised and snatched the lead. Now he came under a drive to go and collect the race win.
The leading trio had the race between them with 1 1/2f to run and as they fight out the finish they pulled each other along. Crack The Code held the advantage and seemingly got the better of his one rival on his inner. Now he had a clear lead it looked like the race was over but along the rail the favourite rallied. Tom was keeping his mount up to his work but the margin was slashed with each stride. Finishing with a flourish the favourite looked to steal the win late but Crack The Code was not for stopping and despite the pair flashing past the post together, it looked as though Hambleton racing’s colours had held on. A quick photo confirmed the result and Crack The Code had gained his second career win.
Dropping back in trip proved to be no issue and Crack The Code looks to be a juvenile on the upgrade. He showed plenty of early speed and cruised into contention before proving very game at the finish. Whilst he battled all the way to the line, it does feel as though Crack The Code only does enough in front. This is a good sign as there could be more to come from him moving forward. It will likely be his last run of the season and the winter break will benefit the gelding. Hopefully he can continue this upward curve next season when he returns to action.