DANIEL Tudhope’s ride on Bravery in the Lincoln last Saturday has generally received the accolades that it was due. Tudhope used his brain, tacked over behind horses towards the far side, the side that appeared to have been significantly advantaged in the consolation race, the Spring Mile, and rode his race from there.

It was a good punt by Tudhope, to move towards the far side. It was a percentage call, and the strategy worked.

It wasn’t certain that it would. Often we thought that we had the draw sorted after the Ayr Bronze Cup and the Ayr Silver Cup had been run (far side has it), only for the near side horses in the Ayr Gold Cup to burst forward and fill 11 of the first 13 places. Fair play to Tudhope though for trying something unusual, for playing the percentages.

Jamie Spencer rode a far-side race too on Donncha, he just didn’t exaggerate the far-sidedness like Tudhope did, but it was a fine ride, a thinking-man’s ride.

So the result of the Lincoln says that two of the first three home were drawn 20 or higher, but that masks the fact that low-drawn horses were probably significantly advantaged. That is worth keeping in mind as we move into the flat season.

DUE RECOGNITION

Still on the subject of Good Flat Rides, all the headlines after Ryan Moore’s treble at Doncaster on Saturday centred around how much it cost the bookmakers, and how much it would have cost them had Oh This Is Us beaten Bravery by a neck in the Lincoln instead of getting beaten by Bravery by a neck. (About £40 million apparently.)

Moore’s rides may not have got due recognition. All three were good, actually all four were good, but his ride on Kool Kompany in the Doncaster Mile stood out. Richard Hannon’s horse was keener than ideal through the early stages of the race, despite the fact that they went fast up front.

Moore had about three opportunities to ask his horse for his effort before he did, but each time he resisted the temptation.

When he did eventually ask his horse to pick up, it looked like it might have been too late. Of course, it wasn’t. It was just in time for Kool Kompany to get up and beat Storm Antarctic by a short-head.