Dominant Mahogany a shoo-in

MAHOGANY’s DOMINANCE in sprint to middle-distance races will be on show again in this Saturday’s Eileen Cliggott Memorial for which only four rivals have bothered to show.

Were it not for Jason DaCosta throwing in off-colour KING ARTHUR and Anthony Nunes similarly offering overnight-allowance winner CURLIN’S AFFAIR, the purse might have well been paid on nomination for the six-and-a-half-furlong event.

MAHOGANY turned the tables on Mouttet Mile-winner EXCESSIVE FORCE in the Ian Levy Cup when last out, stalking I’VE GOT MAGIC before kicking off the home turn for a four-length victory in 1:44.1 at eight and a half furlongs.

A suicide pace in the December 3 Mouttet Mile, MAHOGANY being pressed by RUNAWAY ALGO, ATOMICA and SHE’S MY DESTINY, had allowed EXCESSIVE FORCE to close for the kill.

Similar to the seven-furlong Gold Cup, which he won by two and a half lengths with topweight 126lb, MAHOGANY used his terrifying pace to run rivals into the ground in the Ian Levy – registering his 14th win from 23 starts – only four of which have been beyond third place.

Simply put, if there’s no horse to match MAHOGANY’s speed, there is no stopping the six-year-old, who has faced far better than SHE’S MY DESTINY and DUKE, who are being considered his main rivals in the Eileen Cliggott.

Ironically, MAHOGANY returns better off at the scale than SHE’S MY DESTINY, his only supposed speed threat. MAHOGANY allowed the five-year-old mare 28lb in the Gold Cup, beating her by 10 lengths. SHE’S MY DESTINY is actually 14lb worse off, carrying 112lb, as opposed to the 98lb she had in the Gold Cup.

DUKE sitting 16lb off MAHOGANY is also farcical. In the Mouttet Mile, DUKE came from way back to steal second on the line from JORDON REIGN’S after MAHOGANY weakened inside the final half-furlong. The grey afterwards returned to open-allowance company where he has lost consecutive races to I’VE GOT MAGIC.