Favourite Races - Week of Feb1-7: Age Of Reason, Richard's Kid

I want to highlight 2 races this week where both jockeys had made the right decision in split seconds time.

Feb 4, Meydan, Race 7, Dubai International Trophy (Handicap), 2800m turf
Breaking from gate 4, Age Of Reason was prominent and riding the rail at the 5th spot in the early part of the race. Gradually dropped to 7th position more than half way through, Frankie Dettori took him out to the 2nd path, about 5 lengths behind the leader at the top of the stretch. With a wall of horses in front of him, he took no time to think and immediately started swinging the Godolphin-owned 5-year-old gelding out to clearer path. Ther was a gap at the 6th path but Frankie swung Age Of Reason out further to the 9th path, fully clear of all the horses in the front all the way to the grandstand side. Only then he started accelerating and caught the winner in the final stride to win by a short head.

Had Frankie not swing out at the top of the stretch, maybe he could find a gap and win by a length, or maybe he never found a hole and never saw daylight and finished 6th.

Racing Post Result

Full Replay



Feb 7, Santa Anita, San Antonio Handicap-G2, 1 1/8m
The official chart basically summed up the trip and the ride.

"Richard's Kid unhurried from between foes, content to lag back while saving ground, came two wide into the lane, was steered to the rail, furiously rallied under left hand urging and vigorous hand pressure, surged in final 50 yards and got up on the wire from along the fence."

Garrett Gomez on Richard's Kid was last and 9 lengths behind the lead at the top of the stretch, when he could swing the horse out to the 8th path and look for running room. In split second, Gomez decided to take the inside path which was not cleared either. He moved further in right next to the rail for the only gap left. The horse saw the daylight and started accelerating in the final 50 yards to win by long head. Had Gomez steer Richard's Kid to the outside, maybe he couldn't see daylight when it was too late and only managed to finish 4th, or he could win handily by half a length. The bottom line is that, after the fact, we know he and Frankie, based on their experience and in those split seconds, based on what they saw in front of them and they made the decision that both ended in victories.

Story at DRF