Zumurud to Finally Win After a String of Good Efforts This Season
After five runs so far this season, Zumurud has yet to register a win. However, that is not due to a lack of trying, he has been running very well and out of those five runs, he has finished second on three occasions. He was beaten by a neck on seasonal debut, and went down by the same margin when we saw him last time out at Nottingham. He deserves a win, has been running very well, and at Catterick on Wednesday it could finally be his day.
He went up a couple of pounds for that good second at Nottingham, and that takes him to a mark of 79 now, whereas he started the season on 76. However, he won off a mark of 77 last year and you only have to see his three second placed runs from this season to see that he can win off this kind of mark. Anywhere in the 70s would make him competitive and in the right race he could go close to winning off a mark in the low 80s so I have no problems with the mark he is currently on.
His running style means that he likes to be close up with the pace and that is a positive here. Catterick is known for being a track that gives front runners a good chance of winning, and being close enough to strike in sprint races is often very important here. On top of that he has been drawn in stall 2, which will allow him to get a good early position without worrying about getting across from the opposite side.
You do have to go back a year to find the last time this horse won a race, which may be a little concern to some but I am convinced this horse is genuine and tries when he runs, he’s just been unlucky with a couple of narrow margin defeats.
This race at Catterick looks to be another very good opportunity for him to get his head in front and I will be backing him to do that. A reproduction of any of his three second places from this season would be enough to win this slightly weaker contest, he probably won’t have many better chances than this during the rest of this season, so I am hoping that today is the day for him to strike.
