Golden Gate Race 5
Orczy – 4-year-old gelding by Sir Percy, formerly trained by Richard Hannon Jnr. A winner of one start, Orczy shaped well in his two runs as a juvenile and got off the mark over a mile in a maiden at Lingfield, albeit in a race that has produced a number of disappointing sorts. Those three efforts all came on Polytrack, so Orczy should have no issue handling the surface at Golden Gate. He ran well off a BHA rating of 77 on his next start, his first on turf and his first in a handicap, but struggled when asked to climb the grades subsequently. His form tailed off quite badly, culminating in a tailed-off effort where he clearly found the soft going and 12f trip far too extreme. Orczy strides like a 10f horse but seems to handle a well-run mile well enough and the gelding operation and return to synthetics look positive moves. He makes his debut at a realistic level and should prove competitive.
Santa Anita Race 9
Restiany – 4-year-old colt by Frankel, formerly trained by Henri-Alex Pantall. A progressive sort at the start of his sophomore seasons, Restiany rose rapidly through the ranks, landing a Listed race over a mile on his fourth start, the form of which has not worked out well. Connections gambled with a shot at Group 1 level on Restiany’s next start, but he failed to beat a rival, proving well short of elite opposition. The wheels seemed to fall off following that run, with disappointing defeats at Group 3 and Listed level preceding a drop back into a conditions race, effectively allowance company. Returning to sprint distances for the first time since his debut, Restiany again cut little ice, only able to finish 10th, and it’s difficult to know what level he is capable of now. His dam was a good juvenile but never won outsider of her 2-year-old season and it may be that Restiany has stopped progressing. The change of scenery probably won’t hurt and he is effective on synthetics and most types of turf going, so gives his connections plenty of options if they can find the key to him.
