Alex Hammond Blog: Hollie Doyle a superb role model

Being a role model can be a heavy burden to carry and is often awarded to people who feel uncomfortable with the weight of that expectation.

Having enjoyed a magnificent Champions Day at Ascot last Saturday, Hollie Doyle is a worthy recipient of that honour as she showed us by winning the Long Distance Cup for the second successive year on Trueshan, advertising her considerable talent once more.

She continues to raise the bar for female athletes and this morning, having caught up on an inspirational documentary about the Sky Sports Racing ambassador, I felt motivated to do some weight training.

Despite not being a professional athlete and a couple of decades older than the Group 1-winning rider, I got stuck in and am now even more in awe of racing’s humble star as I try to persuade my arms that typing this blog for you is exactly what they should be doing. Turns out I’m not even close to being able to dead lift my body weight! Onwards and upwards.

The ninth season of the All-Weather Championships got under way at Newcastle on Tuesday, and it was appropriate that Hollie got her 150th winner of the season up in the first Fast Track Qualifier of the winter.

There’s plenty to look forward to for flat racing fans this winter as we build up to Finals Day on Good Friday which will be held for the first time at Newcastle following the switch from Lingfield.

The final Group 1 of the domestic season takes place at Doncaster on Saturday with the chance for the juvenile colts to go into winter quarters with classic expectations on their shoulders.

There is a quality line-up for the Vertem Futurity Trophy, headed by Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten son of Camelot, Luxembourg.

He’s Sky Bet’s 8/1 joint favourite with Native Trail for next year’s Derby and 10/11 to give his trainer a record equalling 10th win in Saturday’s feature. His sire is one of Ballydoyle’s nine previous winners of this race and he went on to great things as a three-year-old, just failing to win the Triple Crown.

Luxembourg's two main market rivals are both more streetwise than the favourite with nine runs between them. Mark Johnston’s Royal Patronage has had five starts and may not get the respect his connections feel he deserves.

That won’t matter on the track, but you can’t knock his two Group wins, particularly his defeat of Coroebus in the Royal Lodge with that form franked in style.

He’s a 4/1 shot and Champagne Stakes winner Bayside Boy is around 11/2. He tried Group 1 company in the Dewhurst last time out and fell short at Newmarket, but the step up to a mile looks sure to suit and he can’t be easily dismissed.

Donnacha O’Brien won this race as a jockey on Magna Grecia in 2018 and now tries to emulate that achievement as a trainer with Sissoko, who is highly regarded. He hasn’t been without support in the week and is now a 10/1 shot.

Who can forget Mac Swiney winning last year for Jim Bolger? This season the trainer relies on McTigue (whom I’m presuming is named after boxing champion “Bold” Mike McTigue, who hailed from County Clare and held his title in the 1920s).

The Leopardstown maiden this colt won in August has been won by some smart horses over the years and despite his price of 33/1 wouldn’t be completely without a chance. So, it’s all set to be a cracking contest which is sure to influence the 2022 classic markets.

Emotions will run high at Cheltenham when the late Trevor Hemmings colours are seen on the track for the first time since his death.

Rarely seen without his cloth cap, it’s the horse named after his headwear of choice, Cloth Cap, that has the honour of flying the yellow, green and white flag in Saturday’s 3m 1f handicap chase (2.20pm).

The long-term aim for this horse once again is his late owner’s holy grail, the Grand National at Aintree, for which he’s currently 33/1 with Sky Bet. He was sent off favourite for last April’s world-famous race but pulled up having made a respiratory noise.

He has subsequently had wind surgery and whilst Aintree is a long way off, what happens on Saturday will be important. This horse has gone well fresh in the past, but I prefer to follow a horse on its second start after a wind op because it sometimes takes that first run back to show them they can breathe comfortably again, and they then let themselves down next time out.

This is by no means a hard and fast rule though and I hope he runs well for his in-form trainer, Jonjo O’Neill.

It could be a good day for the Jackdaws Castle handler, who runs Sky Pirate in the 2m handicap chase on the same card. He was last seen winning the Grand Annual at the Festival in March and has a 7lb rise in the weights to overcome for that narrow win. There could be another big handicap in him again this season. He stays further than two miles, so there are plenty of options for him.

So, plenty for fans of both codes this weekend. I’m hoping my microphone arm has a bit more mobility in it come Saturday - right time for a stretch!

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing columnists
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.