Ibn Khaldun Gets The Job Done

What Breeders Cup? I have already watched the most important race of the day!

Ibn Khaldun's connections had travelled from all corners of the globe to be at Doncaster today. OK, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but close enough. Jockey Kerrin McEvoy travelled back from Australia to ride him. Frankie Dettori chose to go to the Breeders' Cup, which is fair enough, but his loss and Kerrin's gain. Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor and Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford travelled back from Monmouth Park to be there today. And boy, I bet they were glad they made the effort!

The Racing Post Trophy, the last G1 flat race in England, went exactly as I had hoped for Ibn Khaldun. Obviously people had been reading this blog (yeh right!) as he went off as the 11/4 favourite. He settled nicely in the middle of the pack and when Kerrin McEvoy asked him at the 2f pole he quickened very smoothly. In the end he won comfortably by a widening 3 to 4 lengths with City Leader in 2nd and Feared In Flight, a longshot, back in 3rd.

Kerrin McEvoy likes the Khaldun a lot and as was obvious in his previous G3 win, the chestnut colt is very easy to ride. He is a very genuine race horse, if you ask me, and will always do his best. I hope greater things are still to come for him! He is my out and out 2,000 Guineas horse for next year and I already placed an antepost bet on him on the day of the Autumn Stakes. Fingers crossed!

Frozen Fire finished 8th, but I know he is likely to improve over the winter and will benefit from extra distance as a three-year-old. 1 1/2 miles will probably suit him much better.