Guru frustration turns to farce

Dishy Guru's starting stall problems plummeted from frustration to farce at Salisbury last week in the six furlong handicap.

Wearing blinkers and blindfolded in the stalls, Dishy Guru's jockey had trouble removing the blindfold as the stalls opened. Needless to say, none of this helped the six-year old make a better start than he usually does and he was again several lengths behind his rivals before they'd gone half a furlong. He was some 25 lengths behind the winner at the finishing post.

Guru the master of frustration

Sprinter Dishy Guru must be a very frustrating horse to train and own. The six-year old clearly has good speed but he doesn't like being in the starting stalls or coming out of them at the same time as the rest of his rivals.

His race notes frequently begin "dwelt", "slowly into stride", "restless in stalls" etc. But if his starting problems could be overcome he would be a very useful sprinter.

At Sandown on 22 July he was again slow out of the stalls and gave most other runners three lengths' headstart.

But two other runners were also slowly away alongside Dishy Guru - Pour La Victoire and Rocket Rob.

By the finishing post Dishy Guru was in fourth and over three lengths ahead of Pour La Victoire and more than nine lengths in front of Rocket Rob. He never challenged the leaders but was less than two lengths behind the winner, despite the lead he gave his rivals.

In a class 5 five-furlong handicap at Leicester in May Dishy Guru was eight lengths behind his five rivals with three furlongs to go but led inside the final furlong and won the race by two lengths.

Admittedly, it was not a high grade race but to turn around that deficit - reducing eight lengths in two furlongs - and then extending a lead of two lengths in less than a furlong still requires some talent.

It's just that in higher grade company you can't afford to give better horses a few lengths' advantage from the start.