Ducal 4th at Haydock

Ducal ran an excellent first race back following his winter break. He had run 8 days earlier at Newmarket but unfortunately didn't take part in the race. The official reason for his non run was a RR, ie refusal to race, but this is not strictly true. On jumping from the stalls the jockey tried to steady Ducal but caught him in the mouth which caused him to move to the left. He wasn't keen to go forward with a hold on his mouth.
On Saturday Shane Kelly was also made aware of Ducal's resistance to a jab in the mouth and rode an excellent race from a poor outside draw. He jumped out of the stalls well and was quick into stride. He was along side the eventual winner with two furlongs to go but got a bit tired in the final furlong to finish in fourth position.
This was an excellent first run and we will look for other opportunities for him in about 3-4 weeks time depending on his recovery.