It seems fair enough to describe this week as a bit of a crossroads as we have gone the Festival from Cheltenham and still await the new flat season on the turf, but the one thing you can be certain in this sport is that there will always be a story, all you have to do is look for it.
Trainer Mark Bradstock is going to have to get used to a change of lifestyle since winning the Gold Cup with Coneygree, and has lost the pleasure of wandering around the racecourse unrecognised to be persuaded by autograph hunters these days – the small price of fame and fortune I suppose. As with any other handler, when a yard hits form it invariably involves more than just the one horse and as well as the Champion he also scored on Saturday afternoon at Newbury with veteran chaser Carruthers, who received a warmer than I expected welcome to the Winner’s berth having bravely fought off fellow 8/1 shot Amigo by a fast diminishing neck after a real slog to the line. Now heading toward retirement at the not so tender age of twelve, this was his first win since February 2013 at Ffos Las, and possibly his last, but with close to AUS$660,000 in career prize money, he doesn’t owe connections anything in my book, and I hope they retire him quickly and let him enjoy a few years hacking around a field for a change, in the occasions summer sunshine perhaps.
Heading across the sea to Ireland and jockey Davy Condon rode a nice little double for trainer Gordon Elliott, starting with 11/10 shot Knight’s Parade (carrying my money), and followed by 9/1 chance Riverside City, who took the Ulster National by a head from Man With Van – while not carrying any of my money, but a 20/1 winning double for those brave punters who follow the stable. The other highlight of the afternoon for me was yet another win in a Hunter Chase for top amateur jockey Mr Steve Clements, who rides like a professional in my eyes and is worth a few pounds compared to his current rivals. In the past five years he actually shows a profit to level stakes at no less than nine tracks over fences, which is frankly stunning for an amateur, and only one track less than the legendary A P McCoy over the same period, which puts his performances in to some perspective. Nothing comes with a guarantee in this game as well know, but we can be certain that Mr Clements is better than average in the saddle regardless, but especially up against his fellow amateurs, where I would also hazard a guess that he will be picking and choosing his rides as trainers try to get him on top of their horse, especially if it has a decent chance, of course.
Finally, we are all (hopefully) looking forward to next weekend and the Double D celebration we all have planned – Doncaster and Dubai, the first races of the new Flat turf season here in the United Kingdom, plus the Worlds’ richest race from Meydan in the space of two days, what’s not to like?
