TANGRAMM defied a 93-day absence to win his ninth race, when landing the spoils at Lingfield at 10/1 yesterday in a 1m2f handicap under jockey, Dane O’Neill.
It was a race of firsts for Tangramm and the jockey in several respects. He had previously won all his races on the all-weather and was All-Weather Champion in 2015/16. Five of his victories were at Wolverhampton but he had never won at Lingfield before. To be fair to the son of Sakhee’s Secret, he had never previously run at the Surrey track!
Secondly, it was the first time the 6yo gelding had won off a mark of 80. His first success was in November 2015 off a mark of 55 and although he had been as high as 83, yesterday’s handicap rating was his highest winning mark.
Finally, it was not only Dane O’Neill’s first winner of the year in Britain but his first ride. He had only ridden Tangramm once before and that was the first time the horse ran for the stable back in October 2015 at Kempton. The pair were second, beaten a short-head. Clearly, Dane wanted to make amends!
As for the race itself, the former champion apprentice and rider of nearly 1,700 races always had his mount in the first four and the pair always were always travelling sweetly. At the furlong pole, there were four horses virtually in a line but Dane kicked on and opened up a lead which never really looked in danger and at the line, Tangramm was half a length to the good ahead of the favourite, Abel Tasman
Congratulations to owner, Mr John Marsden, for whom his horse has a fabulous 33% strike rate! The horse’s nine wins have a combined winning distance of less than six lengths so no wonder the handicapper has struggled to get a hold of him!