It was great to see two-year-old Valdai claim his first success in the Longines Irish Champions Weekend EBF Novice Stakes at Leicester this weekend (7th August). With John Fahy in the saddle, racing in the colours of Nurlan Bizakov over the seven furlongs, the two-year-old broke smartly and took up early front running which we were delighted to see he sustained throughout. Persistent in attitude and pace, the recently gelded Valdai showcased great tenacity as he fended off his challenger in a photo finish.
Following some changes to his racing conditions since his debut at Bath a couple of months ago, we stepped him up in trip and removed his blinkers, and as a result it was very pleasing to see a significant improvement in his racing efforts this time out. He has come on leaps and bounds in early stages of his racing education and is maturing all the time, so we hold promise for what he can do in due course.
