"I LITERALLY COULDN'T SEE MUCH, BUT I COULD FEEL HIS EARS HITTING MY FACE THE WHOLE WAY"

By Graham Potter | Friday, June 27, 2025

And now for something completely different.

The saying ‘different strokes for different folks’ largely applies across the board for people and it is the same with horses in terms of their personal and physical characteristics, attitude and the little tricks they might come into play in terms of their likes and dislikes.
They are genuinely all individuals.

The inner-knowledge of most of those attributes is largely confined to those working with, or associated with, the horses … the trainers, owners, jockeys, work-riders etc … but, every now and then there is a point of difference that makes a horse stand out in the public arena … and that was the case at Doomben in the second race on Wednesday in a race won in emphatic fashion by the David Vandyke trained Pharoah’s Prophecy.

The race was a no-contest … as Pharoah’s Prophecy’s starting price of $1.30 indicated it might be … with the son of American Pharoah easily shrugging off some wannabe challengers at the top of the straight before romping away to win by 3.57 lengths with the balance of the field well-and-truly strung out behind that, all the way to the last runner who finished all of 18.36 lengths back.

But Pharoah’s Prophecy stood out for another reason.

Watch the race reply of his win from the home turn and you will see the unusually high head carriage that Pharoah’s Prophecy maintains while turning on the afterburners and racing at a high galloping speed.

It is far from a streamlined action, but it certainly doesn’t slow him down. In fact, it almost adds a regal touch to proceedings.

It makes really interesting viewing … and it makes things even more interesting for the rider … as Jag Guthmann-Chester explains.

“During the run he has got a high head carriage, but it is not too bad to ride if he is in a nice rhythm, like he was in the win. I felt I was in motion with him because he was hitting the line so well, so, it wasn’t too bad for me … I was pretty comfortable … because, when he really put his head up, he was letting rip.

“When it is time to press the button and go though, it is very awkward to get a hold up on the neck because of the head being so close to your face.

"I literally couldn’t see much for the length of the straight, but I could feel his ears hitting my face the whole way.”

Guthmann-Chester’s positive assessment of Pharoah’s Prophecy did come with secondary, hypothetical observation.

“If he was in behind them and pulling though, it could get very awkward,” continued Guthman-Chester, … or, if you are on a horse with his head up like that who is going backwards, you will be pushing against him which wouldn’t be good.

“But, for now, it is all good. That was a very good win."

Watch the replay and you might also be looking at a galloper who has announced his arrival as a racehorse on the way up after a race which trainer David Vandyke described as "the perfect experience for the horse."

You could do worse than put Pharoah’s Prophecy’s name in the ‘horses to follow’ notebook.

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