Having scored last weekend aboard a well-backed winner who he hopes could develop into being a leading Cesarewitch contender, Fran Berry looks ahead to this weekend's rides.
It’s great to be able to reflect here on a high-profile winner on a Saturday after London Prize took the Northumberland Vase at Newcastle last weekend.
When you move on to the freelance scene as I have, it’s pretty important to get those winners in big races and to be fair to the horse he was really game for me in the finish.
The pace in the race wasn’t particularly strong but thankfully we were in a good position the whole way around. There was quite a stiff headwind on the day and I was keen to be close enough, but not in front too early.
When he went to the lead he possibly just hit a flat spot but when the second came to him in the last 150 yards, he really got into top gear and was a good winner at the line.
I don’t think the Tapeta surface played to London Prize’s strengths in all honesty and he’ll be happier when he goes back on grass. He looks like an ideal candidate, albeit at this very early stage, for the Cesarewitch in the autumn, particularly as stepping up another couple of furlongs might just bring about further improvement.
The Plate itself was a bit of an odd contest and while the winner is very smart, I’d imagine if you ran it again you might get different results as it was such an extremely slowly-run race.
I was only beaten four and a half lengths on Godolphin’s Good Run but finished in the middle of the pack so that says it all really. He might just be coming back to his best form this horse and is definitely one to keep an eye on, but could have done with a stronger pace throughout on Saturday.
I’d imagine they’ll stick with the cheekpieces as I thought he felt very well in them but a stronger gallop would be a must for him.
The other one worth following from the race is definitely Sir Mark Prescott’s Flymetothestars. I was beside him all the way and he raced extremely keenly so he did well to get as close as he did to the first two, who arguably had the run of the race.
A couple of days later, Fit For The Job gladly lived up to his name as I returned to the winner’s enclosure at Windsor on Monday night. Jonjo O’Neill’s horse is one I know well having ridden him a few times in Ireland for David Wachman and he battled on well under pressure.
He was down to quite an attractive mark and now he’s got his head in front maybe it’ll give him some confidence to keep going.
Another vital aspect of being freelance is to make plenty of ties with as many yards as possible and it was fantastic to ride my first winner for Paul Cole and owners Fitri and Jim Hay at Newbury on Thursday evening.
The winner in question – Musical Art – is a well-bred filly and did very well to win despite being green and she can only improve for the initial racecourse experience.
On to this weekend and I’ve one ride at Haydock on Saturday with Kapstadt going for glory in a typically competitive running of the Old Newton Cup.
I rode him when he won well at Newmarket last time over a mile and a quarter and he battled on well when challenged in the final furlong. Based on that you’ve have to think stepping up to a mile and a half will suit him really well.
He got 5lb for winning last time but that seems fair enough and with a low draw I’ll be hoping to pick up a decent position behind the leaders as he does travel well in his races. Having run so well at Chester this year already I’ve no fears at all over the switch to a tighter track.
He’s obviously a battler too so although it’s clearly going to be tough to win as he steps up in class he should have a live each-way chance.
The biggest dangers are probably Sir Michael Stoute’s lightly-raced Shraaoh and Big Country, who has been one of the handicappers of the season so far. The draw may not have been too kind to Big Country but he keeps on improving.
It's a quick trip to Nottingham for me after that and I ride a well-bred newcomer for Micky Quinn called Princess Keira in the novice event over five furlongs.
It’s a nice ride to pick up as she cost 110,000gns at the breeze-ups at Newmarket earlier in the year and she’s by Acclamation so could have plenty of speed about her. She obviously breezed very well for her sales price to go up so much and hopefully she can go and give a good account of herself first time out.
I’ve also got a couple more for Jonjo and Storm Melody is possibly coming back to form. He’s not been beaten far in his two runs this year in quite big field handicaps and this race represents a drop in class for him.
Looking back, he actually took a couple of runs last year to come to hand before reaching his peak and he could be ready to hit top form again now.
I’ve already had a win on Desert Cross this year and I’ll be hoping for more of the same as he steps up a couple of furlongs from a mile and a half.
He was third at Leicester last time and the Mark Johnston-trained winner has gone in again since at Newmarket so the form isn’t bad at all and my horse didn’t actually handle Leicester quite as well as he might have. The undulations just caught him out but he’d previously run well at Windsor and Kempton so getting him back on a flat track should suit him.
The faster the ground the better for him and any rain would not be welcome.
Lightly Squeeze drops in class for Philip Hide in the classified event. He won his maiden on the all-weather and has struggled in a couple of turf handicaps.
This might be more suitable for him but he’s possibly just one to watch for the time being.
Daily Trader has every chance in the concluding 10-furlong handicap. I rode him last time at Chepstow and felt the mile was an inadequate test for him. I like the horse and stepping back up in distance around Nottingham should see him in a better light.
He’s certainly at the right end of the weights and it’ll be good to get back on him as if he gets back to his winning form at Newcastle he’ll have every opportunity of winning.
The big race domestically this weekend is the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and it’s always a fascinating spectacle.
Ulysses and Decorated Knight are improving horses and both turn up in good form but the three main three-year-olds look really smart and there’s a suggestion that 10 furlongs could bring out the very best in all three of Cliffs Of Moher, Barney Roy and Eminent, so it’s going to be tough for the older horses, as it often is in this race.
It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out tactically, with Taj Mahal in there presumably to help set the gallop and Eminent expected to be ridden positively too with Silvestre De Sousa coming in for the ride.
It’ll be a tactical affair, I think, and the first four furlongs could have a major say as to who eventually wins it as that will shape the race, especially around Sandown which can be quite tricky for horses which end up getting boxed in on the rail.
I’m finding it hard to see quite how it will end up so I’ll reserve my judgement until after the race, but I would like to wish all the best to connections of Salouen who I have ridden on his last two starts in the Derby at Epsom and the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot.
