Potters can make a Point in bumper
I head to Ascot today for just one ride, Twinlight, in the 3.00, where we will cross swords with the mighty Sprinter Sacre.
It is hardly the busiest of days, although it is set to start quite early with an appearance on Channel 4’s Morning Line, alongside one AP McCoy.
To be on time for the assignnment, I flew out of Dublin last night into Heathrow, hardly a new experience.
Heading to Ascot, rather than staying at home at Naas, was an easy enough decision. The Ascot contest is the biggest race of the day, a Grade 1, and it’s not as if I’m leaving behind a couple of 4-7 shots!
Anyway, Ascot completely revolves around Sprinter Sacre, a quite brilliant horse on his day. But he will, obviously, arrive under a bit of a cloud and following an absence of 386 days.
Twinlight will handle the soft ground and I just hope the same horse that was so impressive for Paul Townend at Leopardstown at Christmas shows up now. That isn’t always the case and he has thrown in the odd poor effort in the past.
Dodging Bullets wears a tongue tie, so you would think that the soft surface might not prove ideal for him. Somersby is not getting any younger, while it is hard to make a case for Grey Gold.
That brings us back to Sprinter Sacre and if he brings his A-game then we will all be running for places.
An on-song Twinlight is well capable of delivering, but the vibes are good about Sprinter Sacre, having spoken to Barry Geraghty at Fairyhouse last Sunday.
Willie Mullins runs three horses at Naas and they all have a real life, beginning with Glens Melody in a Grade 3 hurdle.
She is flying at home right now and seems to have improved plenty for her good run behind Lieutenant Colonel at Leopardstown.
But this is an intriguing heat and I’m not sure if she will be good enough to beat Edward O’Grady’s Kitten Rock.
I rode him to win at Naas two runs back and really liked the horse. For once, I’m going to sit on the fence when it comes to this battle.
Val De Ferbet is next up for Willie in a Grade 2 novice chase. I rode him when he made a winning debut over fences at Fairyhouse.
This is altogether a different test, but he did jump like an old hand then and will tell us a lot more about him than we know now.
Willie’s final runner is Potters Point in the bumper and I think he will win. Second in his only point-to-point, he is a fine big horse, who goes particularly well.
I am back in Ireland tomorrow, at Leopardstown, and kick away on a horse called Salsa Sensation for my dad in a maiden hurdle.
I know he won a point-to-point, but, quite honestly, that is very much the limit of my knowlege regarding the six-year-old.
After that it is down to real business and a date with one of my favourite horses, Vautour, in a Grade 2 novice chase.
The world and its mother knows that he ran a shocker at Leopardstown and, if there is an explanation for that effort, then I don’t know what it is.
What I do know is I sat on Vautour during the week and he is bombing. He never turned up the last day, but I’m especially looking forward to getting him right back on track.
I’m on Dogora in a valuable and very competitive handicap chase and am expecting a big run. I’m aware his recent form figures don’t make great reading, but he did jump beautifully in the Paddy Power at Leopardstown, until falling.
Of course, it is difficult to be confident in a race of this nature, but I believe there is a big pot in Dogora.
If that race has an open appearance then it is nothing compared to the 25-runner Boylesports Handicap Hurdle. If I had a choice between Lucky Bridle and Clondaw Warrior and went with the latter, after the weights were raised.
It will be my first time riding Clondaw Warrior in public and he is, of course, part-owned by my wife, Gillian. A horse with plenty of ability, and a winner of the November Handicap on the flat around here, he disappointed us in the Ladbroke at Ascot last time, so we are hoping for much better this time.
Tony Martin has called on me for Mydor in a handicap hurdle and, despite going up 8lbs for winning at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day, he gets in with a nice weight.
Willie runs his first four-year-old of the season, Balko Des Flos, in the bumper. Balko shapes more like a stayer than a speed horse and it will be interesting to see how he goes.
I take my hat off to those who were at Thurles on Thursday. I exclude us jockeys, we were paid to be there. It was as cold and miserable a day as I have ever been out and those punters who turned up have to be regarded as true lovers of the National Hunt game.
