Top jockey Kevin Stott chats to Oli Bell about Darley July Cup hopeful Hello Youmzain who goes into the race fresh from Royal Ascot success.
It was a sweet victory for the 25-year-old in the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes on the royal heath last month, as he had been replaced in the saddle by James Doyle in the Haydock Sprint Cup last September - the first top-level prize the horse had won.
A change of ownership saw him back in the saddle at Royal Ascot for the horse’s seasonal reappearance and Stott got him home by a head in a tight finish.
“You kind of want to go and show everyone you are good enough,” Stott told Sporting Life in the video interview you can watch below.
“Going out on Youmzain, who I got jocked off for a higher profile jockey, to get back on him because of the change of ownership and then going out and doing it at Royal Ascot was amazing.
“At Ascot he dug very deep. He battled well and all credit to the horse, he took me all the way to the line and it was brilliant.”
Stott now has the chance for more Group One glory in the July Cup on Saturday and he feels both he and Hello Youmzain will go into the race full of confidence, while he feels he has the horse to deal with the demands the July Course poses.
He said: “Royal Ascot was a massive relief from my side. Going into the July Cup now the pressure is kind of off. It’s Youmzain’s last season running and anything he does now is a bonus. I’m going in with a lot of confidence and a lot of belief that he can do it again.
“It’s very different. But Youmzain’s a very balanced horse with a lot of speed, so I don’t think Newmarket will be an obstacle. He’ll travel really well and as soon as we hit the rising ground he’ll battle all the way to the line.
“Royal Ascot was a massive relief from my side. Going into the July Cup now the pressure is kind of off. It’s Youmzain’s last season running and anything he does now is a bonus. I’m going in with a lot of confidence and a lot of belief that he can do it again.”
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