It isn’t easy to have winners at the big spring festivals, so after Cheltenham and Aintree going so well we were delighted to have four winners at Ayr last weekend.
When everything is right, Born Survivor is a very talented horse. Everything suited him on Friday, the track, trip and ground were perfect. Dan kept him fresh and didn’t run him at Aintree when the ground went against us. That was a very good decision.
Peppay Le Pugh has done really well this season, notching up six wins. He loves good ground and a fast pace. He might have another outing before the end of the season.
I must admit that there aren’t many horses that give me more of a buzz riding than Azzuri. He won round there last year and conditions were very much the same on Saturday. He’s quick and jumps for fun. He’s always eyeing up the next fence. It’s a pleasure to ride him and Galway could be on the agenda in the summer.
Molly The Dolly was a great bit of placing by Dan, he’d had this race in mind all winter. It was a very valuable contest, Ayr put on some fantastic money and it was nice to take a decent prize home. Her owner has been very patient throughout the winter, it was definitely worth the wait.
Dan always has a plan. He sometimes picks a race out from a very long way away. You think it’s a bit brave or even mad sometimes, but that’s what he’s good at. He’s delivered those horses absolutely spot on on the day, and from a jockey’s perspective it’s great to be riding those sort of horses.
Crosspark ran a blinder in the Scottish National, full credit to Caroline [Bailey] for getting him back in top form after winning the Eider. Jumping three out I thought I might be on the winner, but they went quick and he may not have quite seen it out. They went much slower in the Eider which would have helped him get home.
Everyone knows that Dan is going all out to get to 200 winners for the season. It’s not there yet, we’ve got to keep going and pushing away until Sandown. If he was to do it, it would be an unbelievable achievement. Martin Pipe is the only trainer who has ever done it.
Cheltenham, Thursday
It’s a mares only card at Cheltenham on Thursday and I’ve got four nice rides to look forward to…
2:40 – Desirable Court
This race has been the plan for Desirable Court from the day she won at Leicester the first time. She then won there again, but she wasn’t at her best that day. She made hard work of it. She’s had a bit of a break, will love the ground and must have a good chance.
3:15 – Late Night Lily
Late Night Lily ran two alright races round Newbury after picking up an injury. She has a lovely racing weight and back on better ground she should run very well. A lot of people will have been targeting this race, but we’re hoping for a really big run here.
3:50 – Cabaret Queen
We were a bit disappointed with Cabaret Queen at Uttoxeter last time. It was her first start after a break and she just never got going. She’s got to put that bad run behind her in this.
4:55 – Whatduhavtoget
My final ride at Cheltenham this season is Whatduhavtoget. She’s a talented mare and needed the run more than we thought last time at Warwick. She has come on plenty for that and dropping back down to two miles on good ground will be right up her street. She should run a big race. Happy Diva is a classy mare on her day and she’s the one we have to beat.
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