Has First Lieutenant lost the winning touch?
First Lieutenant might have started his career on a high, but things have not been working out well for him during the 2012 season. He has struggled to some extent and is yet to open his account this year.
The seasoned runner has got a very good record and his strike rate is on the higher side. However, if he continues racing without winning, it will not be good for the statistics and his team needs to act on this matter.
Age is not an issue for the talented stallion, as he is just seven years old. Despite that, he seems to have lost the confidence, which is required for winning races. He is probably facing any problem and should focus on fitness in order to continue making
his team proud at the highest level.
Overall, the M. F. Morris’ trainee has participated in 15 events, winning six of them. This goes onto show that he is quite competitive and has the ability to fight for victories regularly.
Moreover, he has finished as a runner up thrice and secured the third spot on the same number of times. There were only three occasions, where he failed to finish amongst the top-three.
Presenting’s son likes running in the longer distance events and he has been regularly appearing in races over two miles long. He has got a very good stamina, but there is still a doubt whether he can go any further than a couple of miles.
Morris is not quite sure whether that could be possible or not, but he wants to wait and see what shapes up during the next season. He stated, “First Lieutenant will gain more experience racing over two miles and that will benefit him whatever route he goes
next season. And let's not forget he was a Grade 1 winner over the trip as a novice hurdler last season.”
The Irish gelding delivered some terrific performances during the 2010 season, when he made his seasonal debut. He followed that up with another good campaign during 2011, but has been a touch off-colour in recent times.
However, First Lieutenant has got the ability to come out of this bad time and start winning races once more. He still has the energy to combat against the best in the business and will definitely break the shackles sooner rather than later.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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