Our columnist hit the crossbar in the Nunthorpe with The Platinum Queen and he now runs the rule over his weekend runners.
Friday
15:00 Clearpoint
He’s a horse we like a lot. He’s never let us down, he’s two from two and his work has always been very solid. At home he’s our best two-year-old and I’m looking forward to running him. I’ve only won a Gimcrack once and we’ve been second three times so I’d love to win it again.
15:35 The Platinum Queen
I would normally be very against supplementing for a big race, especially for £40,000, but after Goodwood I spoke to Oisin Orr and he was very excited about her. I don’t know what she beat but she beat them well in a good time.
I was very keen from there to supplement and said to Tom Palin at Middleham Park that we needed to seriously think about it. He backed me the whole way and the owners gave us the OK. I’m extremely pleased about it.
It’s an exciting thing to do, take the two-year-old in against the older sprinters but she’s naturally very quick and if there was ever one I’ve trained who’d I’d supplement into it, it’s her. She’s the first juvenile we’ve run in the Nunthorpe and I’m looking forward to it.
I think she’ll do the talking for us. After we’d supplemented, I was delighted to see she was second favourite and not 20/1 and everyone feels we’ve done the right thing.
Oisin can’t do 8st 2lb but we have Hollie Doyle booked and I’m really excited about it.
16:45 My Harrison George
A really nice colt who will definitely win his maiden. Whether he’s going to do it in the Convivial on debut being drawn out in the sticks I don’t know but he’s one I really like.
16:45 Three Yorkshiremen
He’s got to step up on his run at Chester but that experience has done him the world of good. He’ll improve here but it’s a very strong race.
17:20 Blenheim Boy
He was extremely disappointing at Ascot last time, he was lit up in the preliminaries and didn’t run his race. Clearly he needs to bounce back to have any chance in this.
SATURDAY
YORK
16:45 Rousing Encore
We’re stepping back in trip with him. He’s got a lot of natural speed and while on pedigree you’d think he’d want further, I want to try five again.
He showed loads of speed in Ireland last time and looked like trotting up but ended up finishing fifth. It will be interesting to see how he goes here. There are only a couple rated higher in the race and I just hope we’ve been getting his trip wrong of late.
17:20 Spirit Dancer
He’s in great order but has gone up four pounds for winning here last time. He has a good draw in three and is very solid around this course but I don’t think he has seven to ten pounds in hand and you often need that to win a race like this at York.
Chester
16:15 Gabrial The Devil
He’s in great order and getting himself well handicapped. He’s in great form right now but will need plenty of luck from out in ten.
16:15 Khunan
He was a good two-year-old but has struggled a bit this year. I hope he goes OK.
17:25 The New Marwan
We’re trying two miles with him here. Marwan Koukash is a couple of winners away from 100 at Chester so we’re running what we can for him but I do worry he won’t get home.
SUNDAY
The Riddler – Prix Morny, Deauville
He came out of the Norfolk great but when you’re a Group Two winner there aren’t a lot of places you can go. He’d had four races and a bit of a busy time as we wanted to get him at Ascot so we gave him a a break.
It’s done him good, he’s working very well and we’re very happy with him. It’s the first Group One two-year-old race of the year, we can race without a penalty, and we’re looking forward to it. We won it with Perfect Power last year and are creatures of habit so this looked the right place to go.
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