Racing at Uttoxeter – Saturday 06th May
It was great to get my first win of the new season on Monday with Queens Gamble. Brendan Powell was meant to ride her but was required to go to Kempton for Joe Tizzard so I gladly picked up the ride.
Her hurdling was safe, and after running in the Cheltenham Bumper, to come back and win is great. She was careful and she didn’t fall.
I think she’d be better on more of a galloping track, but Oliver Sherwood does not need any help in placing good horses. He’s had more good horses through his hands than I’ve thrown my leg over. She’ll sharpen up and get slicker, she was a good jumper on the whole – she was just careful.
2:05
Clody Flyer (2.05pm) ran well at Wetherby and didn’t really love the soft ground but he was ready to run, so we ran him. He came second and the horse that beat him has gone out and won again since. I thought he was going to win, but the ground was soft and he just got a bit tired. It was his first run over hurdles and we like to think he’ll improve for the run. I’d like to think he’s one of my better rides of the day.
4:25
Witness Protection (4:25pm), who runs in the Staffordshire Plate for Martin Keighley, needs to bounce back. I haven’t ridden him in a race before so don’t know much else about him, so I just hope he can turnaround his recent form.
6:15
Then, lastly, there is Haveyougotmymoney for Paul Robson in the Handicap Hurdle (6.15pm). Again, I don’t know a huge amount about this horse, but he had been running well enough before Christmas. He has done his best on good ground so his preferred going should play to his strengths at Uttoxeter this time.
Jump Racing’s ‘break’
Warren Greatrex is probably right to be saying that Jump jockeys need a longer break between the seasons. In the middle of the summer we could all do with a bit longer but, unfortunately, the racecourses have the power and they put two meetings on a Monday.
Everyone needs a break. The horses, the trainers, the jockeys, the owners, the staff – you name it. The racecourses don’t seem to think enough about anyone needing a break because they keep putting on fixtures.
Looking ahead, Donald’s [McCain] got plenty of horses in for the summer, so hopefully the coming months will be as good as the winter has been.
The 2000 Guineas
Little Big Bear is the highest rated horse of the lot in the 2000 Guineas, but he isn’t guaranteed to stay. But, if he was going to stay, the ground being good-to-firm would give him his best chance. When you hear of the favourite, Auguste Rodin, being tipped as the horse who could go for the Triple Crown, though, and note that Ryan Moore rides him, he looks the obvious one. It’s a quality race and will be an interesting watch.
Brian Hughes blog 05/05/2023
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