City Of Troy Is The Real Deal
For many people, including me, the performance of the week has to go to City Of Troy for winning the Juddmonte International. It was a tough ask for him to go and make the running especially at York, but it just showed what a class act he is. He and the second-placed horse, Calandagan, were miles clear of a good field.
No Excuses For Emily Upjohn
Elsewhere, if you read my blog last week, then you’ll know that I expected a big run for Emily Upjohn in the Yorkshire Oaks. I have to say I was very disappointed with her. Everything seemed to go her way, and she seemed to have no excuses on the day. Having said that, I was very impressed with the winner, Content. It’s not often you see a horse pull the whole way over 1m4f and still go on to win. She’s maybe to watch for the rest of the season.
Thursday
3.40 Chelmsford – Silver Shamrock (Julia Feilden)
I rode this filly back in April when she finished sixth at Yarmouth over 1m. She didn’t run badly that day, and she was staying on nicely at the finish. Since then she’s run over a few different trips, including 7f and 1m2f. She has been a little bit inconsistent this summer, but her third-place effort back at Kempton in June would definitely give her a squeak in this race. We are drawn in Stall 7, which isn’t the greatest of draws, but there are only nine runners, and we are running over 1m2f, so there will be a bit of time to try and get her into a good position.
4.40 Chelmsford – Next Second (Ruth Carr)
She ran well last time out at Wolverhampton, when she finished third from a wide draw. I had to ride her cold that day as she missed the break and she was always up against it. Despite that, she came down the outside with a late run and hit the line hard. It looks like we’ve got a better draw in Stall 6 this time around, so hopefully that will see her in a better light. She’s a filly that things have to go right for, but when they do, she’s more than capable of winning a race of this nature.
Saturday
8.40 Chelmsford – Kessar Power (Phil McEntee)
I’ve only ridden him once before, and that was a while ago. If you look at his form, then you’ll see he’s a quite consistent horse and likes Chelmsford, with him being a course winner. However, this will be his first run for 88 days, and he might just strip fitter for the run.
I hope you all have a good week, and I’ll catch up with you again soon.