On Tuesday 28 July, Dutch Decoy finished sixth in the 2.30 at Ayr, a Class 4 handicap over 7f. Dutch Decoy sat towards the rear of the field under PJ McDonald and was niggled along in the early stages. Turning into the straight, Dutch Decoy was pushed along to mount a challenge, and made good progress down to the furlong marker. He could not quicken inside the final furlong and finished sixth, beaten just over four lengths by the winner, Harrison Point.
After the race, Mark Johnston’s representative said that this was a competitive race, and that Dutch Decoy couldn’t finish as strongly on the soft ground, compared to when he won on the all-weather.
This looked a good quality handicap, run on the softest ground Dutch Decoy has encountered. He could not quicken on the ground, compared to the way he finished on Polytrack at Kempton, and this may be relevant. Three useful three-year-olds (Harrison Point, Entrancing and Melody King) finished in front of him, and we think he could perform even better on a sounder surface, as he has a good turn of foot.