Fakir beats the Brits - but Sam Thomas has Gold Cup hopes for a horse he adores
It is harder to spell Fakir D'Oudairies than to know what we should take from his victory in the Betfair Ascot Chase.
He is an extremely fine horse but the absolute creme de la creme he is not. The three most recent encounters with Irish compatriot Allaho have resulted in defeats by a combined total of 32 lengths. As good as he is – and he is very good indeed – the Fakir is some way inferior to Ireland's leading chaser at distances in and around two and a half miles.
He is, however, better than all those the British can field against him. Just 24 days out from the start of the Cheltenham Festival, it was a sign of what is surely to come.
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