Trainer Ross Burdon is back looking at the recent excellent runs of Mesaafi and Gundogan. Read his latest report, exclusively for kwiff, from his Newmarket base.
Ross Burdon Racing: September 9th Update
This season just seems to be going so quickly. It feels like it was yesterday that we were preparing Mesaafi to run at Newmarket at the Craven meeting as our first runner, and yet, that was five months ago! In the mean time he has won at Chelmsford and Lingfield and been placed at Ascot, twice, and on Saturday he finished fourth in the ultra competitive London Sprint Series Final at Kempton Park.
Ross Burdon Racing: Giant Strides
He has been some star for us, having been bought in the Tatts November online sale for 14500 guineas, he has already won over £48,000 this year, more than paying for himself. When we bought Mesaafi, and indeed Gundogan, for the RB Racing Syndicate, the view was that would race them in 2025 before sending them to the October Horses In Training sale at Tattersalls where we would try and replace them with similar types for next year. That plan has now changed, with everyone involved with Mesaafi keen to keep him for next season, myself included.
If he improves from four to five in a similar fashion to the improvement he showed from three to four he could take us to some nice places next year. Before that, he will probably have one more run this season to try and finish the year on a high for his owners and gain another win before going away on holiday for six weeks. He will then be readied for a campaign geared towards getting to all-weather championship finals day.
Ross Burdon Racing: Mesaafi
On Saturday Mesaafi really did run a blinder, he was drawn 11 of the 12 runners, meaning Jack Mitchell was going to have to be good to get a handy position. Jack did just that, jumping smartly and getting across behind the early leader before turning the bend. From there we were always in a good spot and Mesaafi was probably the last horse off the bridle, but the petrol used to get across to that spot told in the last half furlong on the horse got tired and weakened into fourth position. But, it was a good run, in a super competitive race, with good prize money on offer and a huge improvement from the Yarmouth run where he got upset in the stalls and ran no race at all.
Ross Burdon Racing: Gundogan
Our other runner this week, Gundogan, didn’t run quite as well, although the finishing position suggests he ran poorly, he was only beaten two lengths after meeting trouble in running, again, at Lingfield on Monday. Gundogan was stepping up to a mile for the first time, something I’ve thought for a while we should do, but he has never settled well enough to attempt it until recently. He again settled well on Monday, but the pace slackened after a furlong or so and the pack got quite stacked up, before the leaders kicked on with just over two furlongs to run, leaving Gundogan outpaced turning for home before he got into his stride late on and ran into trouble in the last furlong.
Ross Burdon Racing: Further Ahead
For the rest of the week we will be quiet until the weekend, where, weather permitting, High Point will have his start for us. He has an entry at Chester on Saturday and Doncaster on Sunday and will go where ever there is rain. He’s only small but relishes soft ground, something we haven’t had the chance to run him on at all yet this season. I would be hopeful we can get a run into him this weekend, with Doncaster looking the most likely option at the moment.
By Ross Burdon
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