Hammer, Hammers His Rivals
What can a 1/5 shot do to impress? Winning isn’t usually enough, it’s expected, so what can you do to get some plaudits? Hammer The Hammer was seen as a virtual certainty and he dually showed his class. What was little more than a racecourse gallop for the 3yo, he ran away with the Weekly Free Bets With BetMGM Extra Maiden Stakes at Southwell over 5f.
An expensive breeze up buy, Hammer The Hammer made a pleasing career start finishing fourth in a hot Doncaster maiden over 6f. Having shown good speed, he dropped to the minimum trip next time out. Unfortunately he just bumped into a well fancied newcomer but again ran with promise. Off the track since that run , he returned to action last month with another runner up effort, which saw him receive a mark of 80.
Eligible for a handicap, Hammer The Hammer had options but it was decided to stick with Novice company, in a race which looked very winnable. Superior to his handicapped rivals, by 8lbs, the race looked at the mercy of Hammer The Hammer if he could run anywhere near his best. It was no surprise to see his odds of 1/5 but everybody knows that there are such things as certainties in horse racing.
Tom Eaves took the ride and he won’t have many easier riding fees earned in his career. Bouncing out from stall one, Hammer The Hammer went straight to the lead to set the fractions. Quickly into a nice rhythm he led the field of 6 and would not see another rival until pulling up.
Travelling easily heading to halfway, Hammer The Hammer had his rivals hard at work just to keep tabs on the leader. Tom was motionless in the saddle as they strode on, easily moving away from the rest. The race was pretty much over, barring a disaster of the highest magnitude. Just over 1f from home, Tom gave his mount a shake of the reins and Hammer The Hammer quickly put distance to his rivals. It was a breeze and the winning margin was a guessing game.
Hammer The Hammer couldn’t have done much more and he took advantage of a great opportunity. He is a very fast and classy horse who will definitely go on from this. It would be hard to see the handicapper doing too much with his mark so a starting point of 80, or just over, should see the 3yo improve upon, especially back on the turf.