OTTOMAN EMPIRE IS GROUP CLASS

Henry Cecil's former assistant David Lanigan has made a terrific start to his training career and seems to have the same knack as Mark Johnston over longer distances. 16 of his 41 runners beyond ten furlongs have scored. You'd have made a big profit betting them all.

The time to really sit up and take notice with Lanigan is when he brings a horse back off a break beyond ten furlongs. To date he's run ten horses off breaks of five weeks or more beyond ten furlongs and seven of the ten won.

The most recent occasion Lanigan performed the feat was with the promising OTTOMAN EMPIRE (39) who won impressively at Kempton off an eleven month break last week.

The race was run at a moderate early gallop that picked up sharply in the last three furlongs. Despite this Ottoman Empire was able to stretch two lengths clear of the useful Luc Jordan while covering the last three furlongs of the 11f race in just 35.1 seconds. That's 1.5 seconds quicker than they managed in the six furlong handicap which was the fastest race on the card. When I adjust my rating to take account of this it suggests a solid Group class performance by Ottoman Empire.

Ottoman Empire simply cruised through the early part of the race and only had to be shaken up in the sprint finish to go clear. He looked like a Group racer running against handicappers, and that's what he was according to my ratings.

Ottoman Empire first came to my attention when finishing a close second in a red hot handicap over the same course a year ago. I awarded the first three past the post pattern class speed ratings that day. The winner and third have both gone on to confirm my assessment by winning very valuable handicaps (50,000 pounds plus). Ottoman Empire has yet to have that opportunity as he failed to handle soft ground next time and then met with a training setback.

Back in May David Lanigan had this to say about Ottoman Empire:

"He's had a setback that will keep him off till August. We always though that being by Pivotal he wouldn't mind how soft it was but it was too soft for him on his last run at Nottingham. He just wants good safe ground and we've gelded him which will help. He'll be a good horse to have fresh going into the final third of the season."

Toss out his runs on soft and firm ground and Ottoman Empire's remaining five runs are three wins and two seconds to Group class rivals.

Ottoman Empire has always been well regarded by Lanigan who twice made a point of saying last year that he felt the horse was very much a horse for the next season and would improve. Well the next season has arrived and it looks like Lanigan is right.

Lanigan suggested that the November handicap would be a logical target for Ottoman Empire. I'd agree, as long as the ground doesn't come up soft. Later on he's surely worth taking to Dubai for the Carnival where he could win some decent races on either turf or Tapeta.

It will be interesting to see just how good Ottoman Empire turns out to be. Right now I'd be happy to bet him to take a Group 3.

Runner up LUC JORDAN (37) was unlucky to come up against such a smart rival in a class 3 handicap. He'd won three of the four previous times he'd run on Polytrack or yielding or softer turf following a recent run and is clearly useful on anything except fast turf. If he were mine I'd be inclined to stop with him now to retain his freshness and lenient handicap mark for races on Tapeta at the Dubai Carnival.