Daryl Jacob pays tribute to the now-retired Sceau Royal, a horse he felt made a huge impact on his association with Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
What a horse Sceau Royal has been for trainer Alan King and the special relationship I've enjoyed with his owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede over the years.
You've got to go back to 2015 for the first time I've ever ridden him and I've been on him more than 40 times since which is quite remarkable really. He's been a hero for me, in truth.
I just sensed when I rode him at Kempton a couple of months ago that we might be seeing the beginning of the end as his legs just didn't quite have it any more. The enthusiasm was all still there, but he's 11 going on 12 and age gets to us all in the end! I actually got a bit emotional that day at Kempton as I wondered how many times we'd see him on course again.
He's been near the top of the tree for ages now, all those seconds to Altior, those wonderful Grade 2 victories and winning his Grade 1 at Sandown as a novice chaser in 2017.
Those horses are just irreplaceable. They turn up for you every day and I have such a special bond with that horse. He performed like a warrior for me, time and time again.
Looking back at some of his races again today, I had a tear in my eye, his CV is amazing. What he's done, not only for Simon and Isaac, but he's had a massive influence on my career and my relationship with the owners. Him, Top Notch, Bristol De Mai, those horses have made our relationship such a strong one and for that I'm always hugely grateful. That's what I love about him and that's what I'll treasure.
Huge credit has to go to Alan too, for the incredible job he's done with Sceau Royal and the longevity he's got out of him.
To keep any horse at the peak of their powers for so long is not an easy thing to do and to maintain that sort of enthusiasm, the trainer needs a massive amount of credit.
Happy New Year?
I'm looking forward to riding Matata in the Close Brothers Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Monday.
He won impressively first time out over fences and has had a bit of a break, this is a different test for him on an undulating track and he's up in grade.
He's been used to flatter tracks and he can be headstrong but this is a proper test and will realistically tell us where we're going with him for the rest of the season.
I rode a lovely horse called San Frandisco for Jamie Snowden in the Haydock bumper on Saturday and he clearly loved the heavy ground. He's a name to note going forward I think.
I was thrilled to get the chance to ride Impaire Et Passe in the Matheson Hurdle on Friday but unfortunately he just bumped into a very good State Man.
We changed the tactics on him and there was a moment where I thought we were in business but he wasn't good enough on the day and I'm not sure now what plans will be but it's something that will be discussed with the team.
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