Our columnist has an update on his injury and offers his thoughts on the key Christmas action on both sides of the Irish Sea.
It’s been a very different Christmas for me – watching the racing on TV after suffering the hip injury in my fall at Ascot.
It’s still a waiting game before I find out how long I’ll be out. I have to wait six weeks, keeping the weight off the injury, before going back to see the specialist. He’ll take a look and decide where we go from there and provide the prognosis for the next steps.
It’s sore as you’d expect, the muscles and tendons have also been stretched, but I’m alright. Mentally I’m fine too, Simon Munir, Isaac Souede and Anthony Bromley have got me in a really good place. I’ve accepted the injury and just have to be patient.
It helps to have so many nice horses to come back to ride – including Good Boy Bobby.
I was very impressed with his win in the William Hill Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby (replay in full below). They went a very strong gallop from start to finish and he was very brave after the second last. It was a war of attrition for the horses, and they all got tired. It was a very gutsy performance from our horse.
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I was very taken too with Concertista’s win at Limerick on Tuesday.
She’d never run over that far before but stayed well and I liked her jumping. She was quicker over her fences than on debut at Cork, she’d clearly learned from that, and it was a good performance in another race where there was no hiding place on heavy ground.
We have to mention O’Toole too. His win at Down Royal on Boxing Day was good, it was only his third run, and he’s going to get better and better. It was a lovely performance, especially as Sir Gerhard, who he finished in front of in the Punchestown bumper last season, bolted up ten minutes later.
Elsewhere Shishkin was mightily impressive in the Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton. Nico de Boinville gave him a fantastic ride as everyone at Seven Barrows knew he’d need the run.
He jumped fantastically and Nico kept the bit in his mouth before producing him to win the race from the back of the third last. He quickened really well to soon put the race to bed.
Earlier on the card Bravemansgame produced a sweet performance to win the Kauto Star Novices’ chase. He’s exciting but maybe Aintree is more his track at than Cheltenham? I wouldn’t dream of telling Paul Nicholls what to do and his charge jumped fantastically to win with plenty in hand.
My mind just goes back to last year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle where he didn’t seem to get up the hill and having seen him wing around Haydock, it’s at the back of my mind a flat track might suit him best.
There’s also Galopin Des Champs waiting in the wings for the Festival Novices’ Chase and he produced the star performance of the week for me at Leopardstown.
He looked like a Concorde around there on his chasing debut, he was brilliant. At every fence he pricked his ears and was looking for the next one, really taking them on. He won at both Cheltenham and Punchestown in the spring but seemed bigger and stronger on Tuesday. I’d be in no rush to oppose him wherever he turns up.
It was a remarkable Christmas for his trainer Willie Mullins who also saddled a one-two in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton.
That was a strange race. They went very hard up front and seemed to cut each other’s throats while there were a couple of different manoeuvres from different horses after halfway.
Willie’s two jockeys, Danny Mullins and Bryan Cooper, seemed to have the run of the race, they rode their horse to maximum effect and were going to fight out the finish before Asterion Forlonge’s fall at the final fence. Both Danny and Bryan produced excellent rides.
The strength in depth at Closutton is frightening, particularly in the bumper and novice hurdle division. It’s remarkable how many exciting prospects Willie has and augurs well for the yard in the months and years ahead.
I can’t see anyone managing to tame the Mullins beast at Cheltenham this year – he just has too much firepower.
Finally, just a line to say how great it was to see Davy Russell ride a Grade One winner aboard Galvin in the Savills Chase. He was off for 11 months through injury and what a moment it must have been for him. He and Gordon Elliott have been a wonderful team over the years and clearly this meant an awful lot to them.
