My rides at Perth
3.55 – Ailt An Chorrain (Patrick Neville)
All his experience has come in point-to-points, so it will be interesting to see how he does on his rules debut. He’s a good jumper, but he’s not necessarily the quickest at home. If you look at his pedigree, then you’ll see he has a bit of speed in it, so I’m hoping the track will liven him up a little.
4.30 – Byron Hill (Patrick Neville)
He’s only been with Patrick a few months after he was previously trained by Richard Hughes. On his first start for Patrick, he ran well to finish second at Sedgefield, but his last run back in June was a bit disappointing. However, Patrick’s horses weren’t running too well then, so you can put a line through it. Archie Watson’s runner Polling Day looks the main threat in this race, but it would be good to see my lad put together a nice run.
5.05 – Mahons Glory (Patrick Neville)
He ran really well to finish second on his chase debut at Southwell back in June behind a nice horse of Nicky Henderson’s called Hyland. It won’t be easy to carry topweight in this field, but he definitely has a touch of class. I think this trip of 2m4f is his optimum, and I’ll probably ride him forward. The main danger looks to be Carnfunnock for Stuart Crawford, and you can’t discount Dripsey Moon for Donald McCain, who has some good form. It’s a hot little race, but my lad would have as good a chance as any.
5.35 – Half Shot (Iain Jardine)
He’s coming back to hurdles after a spell over fences, but that won’t be a problem. On his day he’s a smart horse, and he’s run some big races for Iain over the years. It looks like he’s back down to a good mark, and with Iain’s horses in flying form, I’d expect a big effort from him over a course and distance; he’s won around before.
6.35 – Here Comes Georgie (Patrick Neville)
I think the key to him is running him over 2m, which we’re doing here. Before that, he’d been running up to 2m5f, and I don’t think he stays that far. He’s had a little bit of a break, which will have freshened him up nicely, and I’ll probably ride him handy. If he can rediscover that spark he had at times last season, including when he beat Cracking Rhapsody at Carlisle, then he’d have a great chance.
7.05 – Jake Stevens (Patrick Neville)
He’s not been seeing out his races, so we’re hoping this step up to 3m will suit him. He’s also had a wind operation; he’ll be wearing a first-time tongue tie, which will just help his breathing. I do think he’s better than what he’s been shown at the track, so it would be good to see him take a step in the right direction.
I hope you all have a good weekend, and I’ll check in again with you soon.