Asset Earns First Win
Having had four runs in maiden company at this time of year many people would be looking towards nurseries but Kevin carried on down the maiden route with Company Asset and she duly delivered her first win. It was on the Tapeta surface at Wolverhampton that she made her debut running a very pleasing third. Being Kevin’s first juvenile runner of the season she set the trend for the yard’s healthy 17% strike rate in 2015 for 2 year olds. Another three runs followed and having bumped into a few nice types a win was surely around the corner.
Company Asset had shown enough to earn herself a mark of 72 and turned up at Carlisle as the only runner with a handicap mark. The 6f maiden looked ideal for the daughter of Fast Company with the stiff uphill finish seemingly perfect. Graham Lee got the leg up and became the fifth jockey to sit aboard Kevin’s filly. Despite her experience Company Asset jumped a little slowly and was outpaced early on. The start at Carlisle is on a downhill slant and this immediately got the field running, setting a strong early gallop. Graham just had to niggle away to ensure he kept a good position in midfield. As the runners blitzed through the first furlong they were soon on the turn and this began to settle the pace. The jockeys began to cross over and the field settled into their positions with Asset just behind midfield. With the pace relaxing a little, Graham could allow his mount to find her rhythm, important with the slight idiosyncrasies of the Cumbrian track.
The sprints at Carlisle do have the runners on the turn very early on but by halfway the runners come out of the bend and head to the home straight. As the field straightened up there were plenty of chances including the Chestnut of Kevin’s. The leaders kicked on and tried to stretch the field, a move that got the rest racing a long way out. Graham was just urging Asset forward and she moved nicely through the field towards the stands side. As the 2f marker loomed, Company Asset had moved into a nice position to challenge, with only the leaders left to tackle. Graham’s move to come wide had left the pair with a clear run, one that Asset relished. The final 1 1/2f is uphill and this proved not to be crucial but an added bonus. Company Asset had already pulled alongside the leaders, looking full of running. With nothing really going that strongly in behind, it seemed as though Asset was going to shed her maiden tag. As she met the rising ground she found another gear, something that her rivals couldn’t match. The stamina kicked in and she stretched further clear with every stride. Graham had very little to do and pumped Company Asset out hands and heels, without ever needing to go for his stick. By the time they crossed the line the pair had extended to a 1 3/4 length lead.
Hambleton Racing, owners of Company Asset, have had a good year with their 2 year olds and continue to go from strength to strength, proving to be one of the leading syndicates in racing. It was a well deserved victory for Asset and she did it very well in the end. Her previous runs have proven to be against some smart juveniles and she has always run with credit. She has shown plenty of speed but looks as though she could be equally useful over 7f. Already with a mark of 72 she looks as though there is still plenty of improvement left and this was a nice confidence booster for her.