The Betway ambassador discusses his four rides this weekend, including Haiti Couleurs in Saturday's Down Royal Champion Chase.
It’s a long summer, and even though we have some great festivals to be a part of throughout the summer months you really look forward to the return of Grade 1 action at this time of year, so I’m looking forward to getting up to Down Royal on Saturday afternoon. Just the one ride for me there, but I’m also heading to Cork on Sunday with some really nice chances, so with a bit of luck hopefully we’ll have a few winners over the weekend.
I don’t get the chance to pick up a lot of spare rides in Ireland these days, but Haiti Couleurs 5/1 is some spare ride in a Grade 1 and I’m really looking forward to him in the Down Royal Champion Chase (15:15)
I’ve never won this race, so I wouldn’t mind getting my name on that roll of honour, and I think the closest I’ve been was when Kemboy was a couple of lengths behind Envoi Allen here a few years ago.
I obviously haven’t ridden Haiti Couleurs before, so I’ll be relying on what Rebecca Curtis and the team tell me when I speak to them on Saturday morning, but he’s a horse with some good form to his name when fresh. He’s also travelled over here and won before, so that certainly helps, but I just wouldn’t mind a bit more rain for him. I’m told it’s on the quicker side up there at the moment, which might just suit Banbridge, Romeo Coolio and Heart Wood more than us, but we’ve seen what a good horse Haiti Couleurs is when he gets into a good rhythm.
It’s a proper race, though, and other than Croke Park, who has a good bit to find, I’d say they all head there with a real solid chance. Even Fleur In The Park, who often gets overlooked, has done nothing wrong, and with the benefit of a recent run, he’d be one to keep an eye on. Even though things didn’t go to plan at the end of last season, Romeo Coolio is still a horse with plenty of potential, and Heart Wood is a Ryanair winner so it’s going to be a cracking race to ride in.
As I say, I’d just like a bit of rain, because the downhill finish might just be a bit sharp for Haiti Couleurs here, but he’s a cracking horse who goes there with a definite chance.
It’s then off to Cork on Sunday, and we kick off with Cosmic Front / in the Mares Maiden (13:05), and you’d have to say she’s been disappointing on her first few starts for us.
She was running well the first day when she made a mistake and stopped quickly, but she was really underwhelming and didn’t jump great last time at Gowran Park, so she’s going to have to improve plenty on that effort. She has some good flat form to her name from her time in France, so it’s too early to be giving up on her, but she’s going to have to take a big step forward from what she’s shown over obstacles so far.
I’m then really looking forward to Roc Dino / in the Listed Novice Hurdle (14:15), and I think he goes there with a huge chance. He is going up to three miles for the first time, but Cork is a nice flat track to be going up in trip at, and I’m sure he’ll relax and do things the right way.
He’s pretty straightforward and versatile with regards to the ground, so even though this will probably turn into a very different race to the one he won at Listowel last time, that wouldn’t be a big worry to me. Giving weight away to Minella Emperor won’t be straightforward because I was impressed with him here the last day, but I’m really sweet on Roc Dino because I think he’s a horse really putting it all together now.
My final ride of the weekend is Fou De Toi / in the Cork National (15:25), and even though it won’t be easy under top weight, he seems to have found his niche in staying chases.
I think the cheekpieces have really helped him of late, and if you’d have gone back a few months ago, you certainly wouldn’t have been saying he’s a horse that could be winning races off a mark of 136, so it’s incredible how he’s progressed of late. It’s hard to know where a horse like him will stop progressing, and I think this extra half a mile could bring about even more improvement, so I’m fascinated to see how he gets on on Sunday.
He is stepping out of novice company, so he’s taking on horses with a lot more experience than him, but you just wouldn’t know where his ceiling is yet, so he definitely heads there with a good chance of landing the hat-trick.
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