Post Cheltenham thoughts from AP in the Gloucester Echo
A lot has happened since my last blog and I will come on to my 4,000th winner milestone and Richard Hughes’s practical jokes later on, but it only seems right to start with reflections of Cheltenham and last weekend’s Open meeting.
I had a good three days at Cheltenham and if someone gave you two winners going in there you would be happy walking away with that.
I was impressed with Taquin Du Seuil after he beat Oscar Whiskey on the Friday in a messy race that would not have suited either of them.
They are both good prospects for the winter and we did see Taquin as a galloper last year, but this year Jonjo (O’Neill) has said he has been working as a much faster horse.
Good two-mile chasers need to have that bit of pace but generally stay a little further as well, so he has the option of going back to two miles or staying at two and a half.
I was a little disappointed with Shutthefrontdoor on Saturday when he finished second to Le Bec, but I was also happy with him in another way as I think he will mentally progress with each race.
He is definitely an out-and-out stayer and didn’t pick up as well as I thought he might off the bend, but he did run on well up the hill.
He is a slow learner and the more racing he has the better he will be.
At some point we might have to put cheekpieces on to help him concentrate but I haven’t lost faith in him at all.
I think he is a horse who we will see the best of in competitive staying chases.
My other winner at the meeting came on Sunday with Nicky Henderson’s Kid Cassidy. He is a horse who needs to have things happen his own way – you can’t make it happen for him – and it was nice he won a good prize.
He deserved it and has had a fairly tough life with his fall at Lingfield and the electrocution incident at Newbury, but hopefully he will progress.
He isn’t actually that quick and if he was to go over two miles in something like the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton over Christmas he wouldn’t be quick enough.
A fast-run two miles around Cheltenham that turns gruelling is what brings out the best in him, and the last couple of times I have ridden him I have thought he even wants two and a half miles.
It was nice he won and it opens a few more options.
He could run in various two-and-a-half-mile chases around the country now but I don’t think that Sprinter Sacre has much to worry about.
People were looking to Sire De Grugy as something that may gave Sprinter Sacre a race but Kid Cassidy beating him dented his hopes.
The feature of the meeting was the Paddy Power Gold Cup, and although I didn’t win it I was delighted for Jonjo and the team at Jackdaws Castle after Johns Spirit took first prize. Jonjo is having a ball at the moment and his horses are holding their form probably better than they ever have since I have been riding for him.
He is placing the horses unbelievably well and he keeps getting them to improve.
Take Johns Spirit for example. I would have laughed at you this time last year if you had told me he would win a Paddy Power, but he kept on improving.
I know the runner-up Colour Squadron was a little unlucky but the way Johns Spirit travelled over the final two fences, he was probably just idling a bit in front.
It was an impressive performance and he has got a chance of doing what Exotic Dancer did and winning the equivalent race back at Cheltenham in December.
I’m not sure he can quite scale the heights Exotic Dancer did but it was great for Jonjo and Richie McLernon, who is a great lad around the yard and works hard.
People have seemingly begun to realise in recent months that Jackdaws Castle is not so much a closed shop as people once thought.
There is nothing better to entice people in to your yard than having winners and that is the greatest incentive for anyone to have a horse with Jonjo – just look at the way they are running and winning.
The win shows that the horses do not have to be owned by JP McManus to be winning big races for Jackdaws.
A lot of horses, like Taquin Du Seuil and Shutthefrontdoor, could go back to Cheltenham next month if the right races are there.
We all want to have horses capable of going to Cheltenham in March and there is no better place to get them experienced than going around the track, so if we can find races for them then they will be going back there.
Before we get back to Cheltenham we have the Hennessy and the ‘Fighting Fifth’ at Newcastle later this month.
At Fishers Cross is due to run at Newbury and, while I haven’t totally decided, it is looking likely I will go to Newcastle to ride My Tent Or Yours as he is running in a £100,000 Grade One race.
I schooled him last week and he jumped very well, but he has always been a good jumper.
I am very much looking forward to both him and Jezki this season – they are two bright prospects but they have a lot to do to challenge Hurricane Fly no matter what anyone says.
He wasn’t impressive on Sunday but he still won and he does that quite a lot.
They need to improve to challenge him, but as with Nigel Twiston-Davies with The New One and Jeremy Scott with Melodic Rendezvous, we all hope they do become Champion Hurdle horses.
I am a firm believer in giving horses the credit until they get beaten.
People will pick holes and say Hurricane Fly will be a 10-year-old come Cheltenham next year and that he wasn’t impressive at Punchestown, but he still won and that is what he has done more than any other horse at Grade One level.
We will dream on, though, and hope that when Hurricane Fly does get beaten it is by one of ours.
Away from the track and I had an enjoyable evening at the Cartier Awards last week, where my old boss Mr (Jim) Bolger took to the stage.
In his speech he said I might not be as soft as he said I was, and that is the first time I have heard him say that.
It was quite nice he admitted it publicly too!
We had a bit of a party after my 4,000th winner in the Outside Chance where I was joined by a lot of my colleagues, valets and friends.
Someone had put up a few signs around the pub saying congratulations on my 4,000th winner and that kind of thing, but Richard Hughes was there before me and wrote on one ‘Congratulations Richard Hughes on being champion jockey again’ which I found quite funny. He tried to turn it in to his party – even though I was paying for it!
The attention that went with riding the 4,000th was very flattering as I could only really see that it was a big deal to me.
It was very humbling to see all the coverage in the national papers and I can get embarrassed by it, but I have had a great life because of the sport and if the 4,000 provides good coverage of racing then it’s nice to show it in a good light.
On a similar note it was great to see so many people taking the time and trouble to sign my wall at Cheltenham last weekend. It was touching to see all of the kind messages.
I’m looking forward to being back to Cheltenham next month and let’s hope we can find another few winners at the December meeting to match those at the Open.
