Sandown treble keeps the momentum ticking!
It was great to ride a treble at Sandown on Thursday evening. I thought I had decent rides, but the racing there is always pretty competitive.
Classic Lord is still improving, he won the staying race well. I know it was only a small field, but he’s going the right way. Zechariah is a horse to follow. He’s going to stay further – he’s going to improve for going a mile – and he’s a gorgeous horse. I think there’s a couple out of that race who will go forward and do good things, particularly Thesis being bred the way he is, a full brother to Boardman and a half-brother to the Group 1 winner Quadrilateral. It’s a pretty good pedigree. Arenas del Tiempo was a little bit keen in the last and she got away from the field. She stuck her head out late on and really tried, so that was a good performance.
I’ve been lucky to get on lots of horses in good form. My trainers are flying, the likes of Andrew Balding and Ed Walker. Hopefully, they keep kicking and we can keep banging in the winners.
Ascot reflections
Dreamloper put up a career best to win the Valiant Stakes on Friday, it was a really good performance. It was great for her owner Olivia Hoare, who was at Ascot and I think she might have bred her as well. Dreamloper is going the right way. This was impressive and it felt good. Hopefully she continues to do the right things.
I thought Guru did well to win on Saturday. John and Thady Gosden try to put me on winners and they thought he had come on for his run at Ascot on the round course. Hollie Doyle rode a clever race from the front. We didn’t go very fast and he ran home with some pretty quick sectionals.
It was frustrating to get beat in the Princess Margaret. Desert Dreamer was in front before and after the line, but unfortunately that’s racing. She was unlucky not to win.
It was a shame Wonderful Tonight didn’t run in the King George, but the rain didn’t come and I think it was definitely the right decision. It was still a fantastic race. I think Adayar is a champion, he’s by Frankel out of a Dubawi mare, so it’s an interesting cross. He’s a big physical specimen, so hopefully he’ll keep going from strength to strength. It’s great for the Derby, for the race itself, that the winner has gone on to win the King George like Galileo did 20 years ago.
Goodwood Tuesday:
It’s Good To Laugh (13:50)
I don’t know much about this horse, but he obviously has form on soft ground. He’s only won once in 11 starts, but he ran very well when second at Chester the last day which was a career best I suppose. He went up 2 lb for Chester and he was 50/1, so he needs to back that up.
Berkshire Shadow (14:25)
We always said he was a miler in the making. He’s never run on slow ground, but you’d think he would handle it on pedigree, being by Dark Angel out of an Oasis Dream mare. He’s looked good since Ascot and this has been the plan for a long time, so let’s see how he goes. I respect the opposition, Lusail is a very tough, straightforward horse who has done absolutely nothing wrong. He is possibly unlucky not to be unbeaten in four starts and obviously has some strong form lines. There’s a couple of others in there as well in a seven-runner field, but hopefully Berkshire Shadow is good enough.
Real Appeal (15:00)
It was nice to pick up the ride in this race. The horse won well at Leopardstown last time, running a career best. You’d hope the ground would be no problem, he’s run on soft a couple of times and he’s gone fine on it. Fingers crossed he can run a big race.
I really like Space Blues, he’s been a top horse for Godolphin and he deserves his rating of 120. He has obviously been freshened up since Meydan when he was a little bit disappointing. Before that he’d been on a great winning run, going from the Lennox last year to Deauville in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and then on to Saudi Arabia where he won the Turf Sprint. He’s just a class horse.
Creative Force is getting 7 lb from Space Blues and he’s another very good horse. I don’t know what happened in the July Cup, but that was still a really good run, he wasn’t beaten far. Before that he showed his versatility winning the Jersey at Royal Ascot. I think if James Doyle from stall two can get a good trip and save ground – he’ll probably be able to follow Safe Voyage – then he’d be a really good ride. You’d think Godolphin probably have the winning of this.
Blue de Vega (16:10)
He’s been a bit out of form, he’s come down in the handicap from 102 at the start of the year all the way down to 93. It all depends on whether he’s back to form or not.
Olivetti (16:45)
I was very pleased with this horse’s debut run. David Egan rode him and it’s the same owners I won the Britannia for at Royal Ascot, Halcyon Thoroughbreds. He’s actually a half-brother to the horse I won the Britannia on, so we’ll see how we go. It’s a competitive race as you’d expect a Goodwood maiden to be, but he has the run under his belt which will hopefully stand him in good stead.
Nebulosa (17:20)
I don’t know what happened at Newmarket, that run was really disappointing. Before that at Haydock the heavy ground stretched her, she travelled to the furlong pole and just walked late on. I really like this filly, I always thought she was going to get to a higher level than this. The handicapper has dropped her 1 lb and hopefully she can go and do the business. She’s actually fine on soft ground, it just doesn’t want to get too slow. It’s nice to see that Star Seeking is a non-runner, because I thought she would have been impossible to beat off 85. She should have won at Nottingham on her last start and she won at Leicester before that. She’s out so that brings us into the race.
Goodwood Wednesday:
Recovery Run (13:50)
He’s back into handicap company and the handicapper has given him a chance. He’s slipped from 107 at the start of the year to 96. It will be interesting to see how we ride him. I’ll speak to Andrew Balding, but if I could lead on this horse I think it would make a big difference and he’s drawn in 12, so hopefully I can stay out from that draw and go forward on him. I like Kolisi, William Haggas’ horse who ran a career best at Salisbury last time and could be well treated off 87. I thought General Lee stepping up in trip was also interesting. I’ve ridden him a couple of times and just felt he was a staying horse. He’ll also handle the ground. It looks a very competitive race and will be hard to win.
Bounce The Blues (14:25)
She was too keen at Windsor off a slow pace over a mile. In a big field I’m drawn 10 and I’d love to go forward on her. I think she’s good enough to win a race like this and I expect her to be one of the favourites. Hopefully I’ll give her a good enough ride and she’ll be bang there. She’s in good form and loves soft ground.
Nymphadora (15:00)
She was a non-runner in the Princess Margaret as we thought this was a better opportunity for her, she’s a real five-furlong filly. She’s a listed winner, she won the Marygate at York which is always a good trial for the Queen Mary. I didn’t ride her at Royal Ascot, I don’t really know what went wrong. Hopefully this is more her sort of race, I think a fast five furlongs suits her well. I’ll get her out of the gates and have her bang there hopefully.
Alcohol Free (15:35)
Alcohol Free is in great form and any rain won’t inconvenience her. I was pleased with her when I rode her on Saturday and hopefully she’ll run a big race. She won’t have any problems with the track at Goodwood. She prefers to meet the ground and the first half of the race at Goodwood is going uphill and then it’s practically flat in the straight which will suit her fine. I’m drawn stall nine of 11 which isn’t ideal, particularly when there’s only one natural frontrunner in Century Dream. I think Poetic Flare will sit close to the pace and it will be interesting to see how they ride Lope Y Fernandez. Poetic Flare was so impressive in the St James’s Palace, I’ve got massive respect for him.
Frankella (16:10)
She’s back to five furlongs which will be interesting. Both her father and her mother were champions, Frankel and Arabian Queen. I think she’ll go on the ground. She’s never raced on it, but hopefully she’ll run a big race. I thought Canonized was improving, she’s obviously won at Goodwood before and is a very good filly. She just needs to learn how to relax. Coming down in grade, though, Frankella would have a chance.
Desert Doctor (17:20)
He’s been a very tough horse. He went to Dubai and has been freshened up since then. This has been the plan for quite a while and the handicapper has given him a chance, he’s 2 lb below his last winning mark. It’s a very competitive race, we know these are hard to win, but hopefully he’ll give a good account. Fox Champion is the top weight, I’ve won a Group 2 on him and he’s found his level again now. He probably deserves to be considered one of the horses to beat.