DARTMOOR PIRATE made an eye-catching impression with an eleven lengths winning debut over hurdles at Wincanton on Tuesday in the colours of the twelve strong Geegeez.co.uk XXII.
An attractive type by Black Sam Bellamy out of a prolific Aga Khan mare he had shown some promise in his first bumper start, a valuable sales race in March, before a slight blip in another bumper at the end of October.
So I was hopeful rather than confident heading to Wincanton where he took a notable step forward in what appeared to be a competitive novice hurdle.
I’d go as far to say that I’ve never had a young horse improve so much for having a hurdle in front of him.
His jumping was pretty slick, too, in the main, particularly over the last few flights and he quickly drew clear after leading at the second last.
His jockey Ben Godfrey was suitably impressed and so was I. Dartmoor Pirate has a cracking pedigree and is the seventh produce of his dam Behra to win a race.
You couldn’t ask for more on debut. He clearly loved his job and was pricking his ears as he cruised home.
We will look for a similar race for him under a penalty and if he pleases again then we can raise our sights and look for something more interesting.
