The Betway ambassador previews his Thursday ride on Il Etais Temps at Clonmel in the Oil Chase, and also discuses the horses he's most looking forward to riding.
Clonmel Oil Chase day is always a great afternoon’s racing at the start of the season, and even though I only have the one ride, I’m really looking forward to partnering Il Etais Temps 1/5 in the big race once again (15:10 Clonmel).
He had such an unbelievable season last year, and as is usually the way with Willie, he’s sticking to the same routine and coming here. I know it wouldn’t be the usual to campaign your Champion Chase winner over 2m 5f to start off, but he’s a horse that is as good over those intermediate trips as he is over 2m, so it’s not an issue for him at all.
He’s far superior to the others on ratings, so barring any accidents, I’d be hoping he can get his season off to a winning start. All being well, I’d imagine he’ll head to Sandown for the Tingle Creek after this, but let’s hope Clonmel all goes to plan first, and we can look forward to those big Grade 1’s for the rest of the season
Kappa Jy Pyke is probably the only possible danger to us, and he’s a horse that’s entitled to improve again this year. He was very impressive when he beat Salvator Mundi at Thurles this time last year, and he did well in graded company thereafter, so I’ll be interested to see how he gets on this year. It’s a tall order for him, though, taking on a horse as good as Il Etais Temps, but hopefully he’ll run with plenty of credit and give himself something to build on for the season ahead.
At this time of year, people are always asking me for a horse to follow, and it’s so difficult because there are so many exciting horses at Willie’s, and it’s never easy to pick just one. King Rasko Grey would be the one I think that I’m really looking forward to if I had to pick one, and even though nothing is set in stone, I’d imagine he’ll go chasing this year. He rides like a chaser and feels like a horse that should improve again for fences, and he’s a horse that kept on progressing throughout the season last year, so he’s a very exciting horse to look forward to. I really liked the way he got down and dirty to win at Punchestown at the end of the season, and that attitude will stand him in good stead for going chasing. It’s never easy to predict which way the winner of the Turners will go trip wise, because you need to have a turn of foot to win that, and I think he could go either way with regards to trip. He had the pace in the Turners to be in control of the race, and then he outstayed them at Punchestown, so I just think he’s very straightforward, and he’s a horse I’m really excited about this year.
In terms of horses that people might not have heard of, I sat on a horse called Magnifico Conti the other day, and he felt like a proper racehorse. He’s a fine big four-year-old that won at Auteuil back in February, so he won’t be a novice for the full season, and it will be interesting to see what plan Willie and the team come up with for him. He’s a horse that just felt like he had the potential to be special, and although I’d be advising people to keep him onside this year, I think we’ll really see the best of him next year and beyond as he grows up and strengthens even more. The form of that Auteuil race is working out really well, with the second going to Gordon Elliott, and the third winning a Listed race over in France, so Magnifico Conti beating them both with relative ease looks a nice piece of form for sure. He hasn’t done any real fast work yet, but even just cantering him round, he feels exciting, and he’s definitely one for the notebook, I’d say.
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