We’ve ticked off a few more winners after the last week or so and a couple of them were pretty impressive.
Rare Edition did it nicely at Worcester last Thursday. He’s a grand horse and I’m really excited about his future. He’d been schooling really well so I was looking forward to riding him, and he didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t the strongest of races but he couldn’t have been more impressive.
I had a good double at Wetherby on Wednesday, where Vintage Valley made a good impression. The favourite didn’t show up and there was a non-runner, but it was still a decent juvenile hurdle. That was only the fifth start of his life, and he would have needed the run, so while I’m not going to say he’s obviously up to winning in Graded company, he’ll certainly pay his way over hurdles.
Caius Marcius, the 11-year-old, has been a fantastic horse for his connections and it was brilliant to get his head in front for the fourteenth (!) time. He’s not the biggest horse, but he stays well and appreciates good ground – the quicker the better for him.
Uttoxeter – Friday
Just the one for me on Friday in the shape of Saywhatyouwant (3:34 pm). She won well after her wind op at Cartmel two starts back and was then a bit disappointing on the last day at Fontwell. She’s been dropped in the weights and is now actually two pounds lower than her Cartmel win, so should be competitive from that point of view.
Market Rasen – Saturday
Gaelik Coast (2:27 pm) is coming off the back of a break and stepping back up in trip. The Adrian Keatley trained horse, Kihavah, is coming here off the back of a good second, while Alan King’s runner, Harbour Lake, is one I’ve won on before and he’s a nice type too. Overall, it looks like a competitive race, but my guy likes decent ground and the step back up in trip will suit, so I’d like to think we’re in with a good chance.
Master Malachy (3:02 pm) made a bad mistake mid-race the last time, which completely knocked the stuffing out of him and he did well to recover and still be in with a chance turning for home. That mistake was uncharacteristic, and with a cleaner round of jumping, I’d like to think he has every chance. This will be his fourth run over fences and he’s still a young horse.
Finally, I’ve got Notimeforanother (4:45 pm) in the bumper. I think connections like him a fair bit, so while we don’t know what we’re up against I know they think a bit of him, and Keith [Dalgleish] does well in these races, so fingers crossed.
Champions Day and Christophe’s elbow
William Buick is a fantastic rider. Congratulations to him and all of those around him. I felt a bit sorry for him last year with the way it all panned out but now he gets his day and it’s fully deserved. The other big attraction on Saturday is obviously Baaeed. I know Adayar is a Derby winner, but I can’t see him troubling Baaeed. Nothing has managed to get close to him this season and hopefully, he can sign off with another big win.
Looking back a bit further at the incident with Christophe Soumillon, I think it’s clear he’s made a bad misjudgement. You get plenty of hustle and bustle in races, it can get a bit tight sometimes, and he’s obviously made a mistake in that situation. Thankfully, everyone is okay, and I see he’s also paid the connections and the expenses for the horse. No one sets out with any malice to do what Christophe did. He’s a world-class rider, will serve his ban and hopefully, we can move on.
