SAMARKAND

On April 17th, a dirt trial over 1200m at Conghua saw the horse finish second, still with energy to spare. Seven weeks ago in the same distance, performance was moderate; settled well tracking the leaders and made a move in the middle section but couldn’t sustain it to the finish. One barrier trial showed satisfactory results. This race requires a 3lb penalty. The time difference compared to other horses in the group isn't favorable, despite having three wins over this distance previously. Maintaining a good position tracking the leaders and drawing a good barrier are positives, along with gate work leading up to the race, but chances appear limited.