Sad week for racing
It’s been a very sad week for the sport with the loss of Coral Pritchard-Gordon and Tim Billington.
Coral came racing an awful lot and you’d regularly see her on work mornings in Newmarket too. I’ve ridden quite a bit for Sir Michael Stoute in recent years and I’m so upset for him and their family and friends.
She was a wonderful lady, Ryan Moore paid a moving tribute on Wednesday and it’s so sad. We’re keeping her in our thoughts and prayers as we are Tim.
He owned horses with Hughie Morrison and died after a short illness. I’d ridden for him in the past and lived with him when I lost my claim. It was so sad to learn of his passing.
BIG WEEK AHEAD AT YORK
I love York, it’s such a great track. Obviously the usual atmosphere will be missing at the Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival this year, which helps make the meeting so special, but I adore the place and have been very lucky there. Hopefully I’ll be lucky again next week.
I’ll have my full thoughts on all my rides each day but it’s great news that Kameko is running in the Juddmonte International. We weren’t sure what the ground was going to be like in Deauville for the Prix Jacques Le Marois and Sheikh Fahad has won this race before with Roaring Lion so we head to York.
It’s nice to have another go on him in what is probably going to be the highest-rated turf race in the world this year with Ghaiyyath, Lord North, our colt and Aidan O’Brien’s party which includes last year’s winner Japan, Magical and Anthony Van Dyck. It’s going to be a very hot race but that’s what we compete for and where we want to be.
Darain was also in at Deauville on Sunday but heads to York for the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes. He’s in very good shape and has had some time since his last run at Newmarket. He’s improving all the time and while we’re still learning about him, he’s a horse I really like and hopefully will go well.
RECENT ACTION
I’ll start with a horse I didn’t ride but I was thrilled with The Lir Jet’s run in the Group One Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh. Oisin Orr gave him a great ride. The horse was very professional, jumped, relaxed and picked up all the way to the line.
The winner, Lucky Vega, is a lovely horse but hopefully we can find some more targets like this for The Lir Jet because it was a brilliant run.
Stunning Beauty is a beauty alright and she was very impressive at Leicester on Monday. She’d done nothing wrong since her winning return at Newmarket and had been training well. She was very good through the race.
She behaved really well. At one stage she’d been a little nervous about the stalls but that’s all passed now and she’s very much improving. A mile is fine for her at the moment and Saeed mentioned a Listed or Group Three race in September for her next – and that looks the ideal route. She could get to the very top level but it’s baby steps at the moment.
I was delighted with Politics who was one of three winners I rode at Sandown last Friday for Andrew Balding. He has been a little wound-up at home having had a breeze-up preparation but Will Carver rides him in his work and the horse wears a hood and he’s going the right way.
He wore the hood to post at Sandown and he hacked down there and jumped well. I kept it simple from that point and I’m happy to stay at five furlongs now. I have a high opinion of the horse and he’ll keep going the right way.
I also rode a treble at Wolverhampton on Wednesday which featured Kingsholm. He’s finally learning to switch off. He rode like a normal horse at Dunstall Park. He hacked to post, stood in the gate, jumped and did everything right. James Fanshawe and his team have done a wonderful job with this horse.
He won well and is going to be out of 0-65 and 0-70s now but should be able to improve away.
I get a massive kick out of riding for Her Majesty The Queen and it was obviously a low-grade race but it was great to win in her colours aboard Chosen Star at Windsor. I wouldn’t know what the plan is for her now but she’s a winner and that’s very important for her broodmare career given her fine pedigree.
Finally I have to mention Chill Chill who won for Andrew and King Power Racing at Ascot on Saturday. She’s a half-sister to Beat The Bank who we all loved and adored and who did so well for us.
She’s going the right way having taken a little while in her early days to learn how to race, it didn’t come as naturally to her as it did her brother, but she’s got her act together now.
Six furlongs looks to be her trip and it would wonderful if she could improve further and grab some Black Type.
BUSY DAY AT NEWBURY
I’m looking forward to seven rides at Newbury on Saturday.
1.15 Alcohol Free
A No Nay Never filly and a little beauty. She’ll be a little green but she’s ready to start off although you never know what you might bump into in races like this here. We love daughters of No Nay Never, we’ve been very lucky with them with Andrew in the past, so fingers crossed this one follows suit.
1.50 Francesco Guardi
A Frankel colt who won nicely at Salisbury on his debut. I couldn’t ride him as I was elsewhere but James Ferguson has made a tremendous start to his training career. This looks a hot race with lots of potential improvers. I was drawn alongside John Gosden’s horse Guru when he won on debut here and he really picked up and hit the line well. He clearly brings strong form to the table but I’m sure my horse is going to improve.
2.25 Newbury Kasbaan
A wide-open handicap but this horse is well up to the class. I’m not sure how I’m going to ride him but he’s owned by the Horse Watchers and I’ll speak to the Dixon brothers and see what they think. Anything can win a race like this but we definitely have a chance.
3.00 Newbury Alignak
He needs a little bit of rain in my opinion. I won on him at Newcastle and Kempton on artificial surfaces but he ran a career-best at Haydock when just touched off by Trueshan in a Listed race. He’ll be fine on good ground but wouldn’t want it firm. We’ll see what the rain gods do but he’s typical of an improving horse trained by Sir Michael. He’s stepping up in distance and class but has earned the right to do so.
3.35 Newbury Dream Of Dreams
I’m thrilled to get on him in the Hungerford Stakes. He ran a great race at Royal Ascot when just touched off by Hello Youmzain in the Diamond Jubilee and seven furlongs will be fine for him as long as he relaxes. The key will be making sure he switches off in the early part of the race as clearly he’s well up to this sort of class.
4.45 Newbury Bright Eyed Eagle
I was thrilled with what he did at Ascot last time. It just felt like we didn’t go very fast but he stayed on and hit the line hard, finishing fourth behind Tenbury Wells. He’s done nothing wrong and won at Goodwood first time. It was a strange race at Windsor in between, a small field and very tactical, and I think there’s still some upside in his handicap mark so fingers crossed.
5.20 Newbury Bright Start
A lovely horse and training well. Saeed’s team are running into form and it would be nice to get another winner for him here. It’s quite a deep race as you’d expect for the track but he’ll be in the top two or three in the betting so I hope he goes well.