The calm after the storm
Let me start with the third one, Marc Aurele, in a novices’ hurdle. I just want him to run as fast as he possibly can, because I’m going to be on a right tight schedule.
The race is due off at 4.05 and, as soon as he’s given his all, I’m heading to Cardiff to see Ireland, hopefully, winning the Grand Slam.
I’m hopping on a helicopter and we will be landing at Cardiff Airport. If I had my way, I’d put it down in Cardiff Arms Park, next door to the Millennium Stadium, but there’s no way we will be allowed do that. Unfortunately, it will have to be a 20 minutes trek across town to see Brian O’Driscoll and the boys doing the business.
Anyway, Marc Aureale needs to step up on what he did first time over hurdles, and for Paul Nicholls, when a remote sixth behind Master Of Arts at Doncaster. Master Of Arts didn’t exactly boost the form in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The upside, however, is that he won on the flat for Andre Fabre in France and now has bottom weight. I’m a bit in the dark about the horse, not having ridden him the last day, but hope he can send me to the rugby in good form.
I ride one for John Quinn called My Immortal in a handicap chase and am even more in dark regarding this fellow.
I know he’s been off for 329 days, but doubt John would go to the trouble of ringing me to ride if he thought My Immortal was only capable of going round behind.
John is a very good trainer, as he showed with Character Building at
Cheltenham, so I’m hoping when he gives me the leg-up he’s going to say this has a decent chance.
My best of the day is Lamanver Homerun in the final of a mares’ chase. We were going to win alone the last day at Hereford when she over-jumped and toppled at the last.
She’s not a bad mare, but the problem, of course, is she has a lot of weight. Having said that,I am very much looking forward to the seven-year-old.
PING Pong Sivola, who was second at Cheltenham, will be hard to beat, but I’m hoping that run may have taken the edge off her.
I’m off to meet my Cork friends tomorrow and am planning to away to the perfect start in the first, the four-year-old maiden hurdle, on Coffee Tea Or Me.
He’s been working well for a while and went really nicely when I had a sit on him earlier in the week. The fact the only race he has ever won came on the all-weather at Dundalk will tell you he needs good ground. I’m praying then that the sun keeps shining and, if it was to rain, we’ll be in trouble.
Whatever the weather, I’d be less than confident about Fixed Fee in a handicap hurdle. The handicapper has given him a rating of 116 and certainly rates Fixed Fee a better horse than I do.
Serpentaria is a different kettle of fish in a conditions hurdle and I’ll be disappointed if she gets beaten. You would have to be pleased with the way she won on her return in a handicap at Leopardstown.
This is a really lovely mare, with a fine engine, who is entitled to come plenty for her first outing in a while. Nicanor is, obviously, an interesting opponent, but I wouldn’t be getting off Serpentaria for anything.
Watchurhouse, who won his maiden at Tramore, is a on a mark of 115 in another handicap hurdle. Again, I’d say the handicapper has been hard on him and I’ll be pleasantly surprised if he can win.
I finish on Takeyoupick for Gerry Cully in another handicap hurdle. He departed at the first in the
Ulster Grand National at Downpatrick, but Gerry says he’s in good order.
Next week is going to be relatively quiet, courtesy of the Cheltenham stewards. I’m suspended for three days, Tuesday to Thursday.
There has been plenty of speculation in the press as to what I’m going to be on in the National at Aintree, but my advice is not to take any notice of that rubbish.
There are two things you have to know before deciding what to ride, the top weight and the state of the ground.
As neither are known right now, I will not be making any snap judgements and will be sitting on the fence for a while yet.
Reflections on Cheltenham! Well, I sat down on Monday and watched all the races and, of course, the likes of Kauto Star, Master Minded, Cooldine and Mikael d’Haguenet were particularly pleasurable.
Two that got away, though, Celestial Halo and Pride Of Dulcote, were the ones to which I gave the most thought. Should I have gone even earlier on both?
We’ll never know.
