Heavy ground was the order of the day at San Sebastian on Sunday and that has had an impact on both the ratings and the time figures produced by the 5 races. I am, by nature, a cautious punter and I have a general rule that I won't have a bet when the ground is Heavy as it can be much harder to predict. In a similar fashion, it is important to be cautious when assessing the form of races run on deep ground. All of the races run on Sunday were a long way behind the standard times and a great majority of the performances can have a line put through them as many of the runners didn't seem to handle the soft ground. Coolmeen Vega produced the best winning figure with a rating of 77.2, but it must be noted that he got a superb ride by Vaclav Janacek, who waited until they turned for home to make his challenge and then headed for the stands rail to make his challenge, which looked to be the best place to be in the home straight. He began his career with David O'Meara and since moving to Spain he has won 3 times, all at San Sebastian so it can't be said that he was winning out of turn, but the ride probably flattered his performance and rating.
If there is a horse to take from this card, then perhaps it is Calcas, who finished 2nd in the opening race. He was conceding 6-kilos to the winner and a combination of that weight difference and the fact that the winner was able to dictate in front and get the first run in the closing stages was too much to overcome. However, he did pull 5-lengths clear of the rest and has produced the best rating by some distance. If he meets Bailen again, especially better terms, I would be confident that he would reverse this form with ease. A link to the replay can be found below.
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