Four Times, The Warrior
Sat 17 Jul 2021
WINNER 51 OF 2021: KAYFAST WARRIOR, trained by Tom Dascombe and ridden by Kieran Schofield: 'The Heineken UK Apprentice Handicap' over 1m 1/2f at Hamilton.
Lining up carrying a double penalty, after bringing up a hat-trick at Wolves 4 days ago, he was reunited with Kieran and this time, back on the turf. Breaking well, he was able to get across to the rail after a few strides moving on to lead. Stretching out in front with ears pricked, as has been his trade-mark recently, at the 3 pole suddenly two challengers loomed upsides and even headed him, but after being shaken up he rallied to lead again, only for another challenger to come from behind and chance their arm! He showed a great resolve and stuck to the task to win by a neck.
For a 3-year-old who has had 12 starts to have now won 4 times and in fact been in the top 2 on 50% of his starts, is pretty nice! His 2021 season has just wowed us and he is a credit to his loyal owners, who stayed with him through his 2-year-old campaign, where his size and mental greenness meant that he couldn't put down on the track what he has been able to do this year. If every horse we had produced results of 2231111 since May this year, on both the AW and the turf we would be delighted. But he certainly is a great example of how patience can pay dividends.
"Kayfast Warrior showed an admirable attitude there." Watch the full race replay here: https://www.racingtv.com/videos/watch/horse_racing_replays/340954-heineken-uk-apprentice-handicap-6
Timeform rated it as a career best 83, saying: "Strong in the betting back on turf, had more on his plate under a double penalty and showed plenty of resolve to complete the 4-timer after just 4 days off; soon led, joined over 4f out, ridden under 2f out, looked in control entering final 1f, closed down gradually, dug deep under pressure; will find it tougher once reassessed but has thrived on racing since his return.”
Kieran said in his Racing TV interview: "He really showed how tough he is there as he fought off the challengers and his rise through the handicap hasn't fazed him. He's a great horse for his connections.”
Syndicate manager Tom says: "Congratulations to his owners (again!) on his brilliant win yesterday, you couldn’t fail to be impressed with how he knuckled down to get his head in front, even after how busy he’s been over the last 3 weeks or so. He’s really living up to his name! He's come out of the race fine this morning and he will have some more time in the pool this week, a pick of grass in the pen and a couple of canters and we will go again at Chepstow on Friday. A big thank you to Tom Dascombe and his team for keeping him happy at home and able to produce these results."
Join his multiple winning syndicate here!