Another Meydan success for Top Score

Top Score won his third race on turf at Meydan when successful in the seven-furlong turf handicap on Thursday, 1 March.

The four-year-old son of Hard Spun, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, raced towards the rear of the 13 runners in the early stages.

As the field entered the straight, Top Score was ninth and began to make good progress towards the outside. He ran on well from a furlong and a half out before hitting the front well inside the final furlong to triumph by three quarters of a length from The Grape Escape in 1m 23.85s.

Top Score scored twice on the turf at Meydan in 2017, taking both the Meydan Classic Trial and the Listed Meydan Classic. 

Saeed bin Suroor remarked:  “Top Score is a tough horse and seven furlongs is the best trip for him. 

“He was unlucky over this distance on his last start, when he was too far back. 

“Christophe Soumillon looked after Top Score - he knows the horse well - and they won nicely.”

Christophe Soumillon added: “The two draw wasn’t a great help tonight because a few horses came from the outside and squeezed us after 100 metres, so I couldn’t get in my position. 

“I was nearly last when I arrived in the bend and I had the chance to come three-deep. I found that I had a good way to arrive in the straight without having to make up too many lengths. 

“Top Score hung a bit left in the end, but was quite genuine when I asked him to go. He never gives everything – he has a tendency to hit the front and stop to look around – but he won well today.”